[XII] 



HUMAN DISSECTION IN IRELAND-A.D. 



1590 to 1885 



[[ JLreland is a country which stands unique in the early history of 

 human anatomy, in the United Kingdom, because it afforded an 

 unhmited source of subjects, at least for a certain period. Re- 

 sponsible for this, to a large extent, was perhaps its economic 

 status. 



All of the early dissection was associated with the University 

 of Dublin, or Trinity College, as it is also called. This institution 

 was founded in 1591 by Queen Elizabeth. Some instruction was 

 given there in medicine about 1597 and lectures were made a part 

 of the course in 1628. Each candidate for a degree was required 

 to attend three anatomical dissections. These must have been 

 performed in private houses as there was no place for such work 

 at the University (Macalister, 1884). 



References are made to dissections having been made in 1672 

 and 1676 but the first public anatomizing of man was conducted 

 in 1684. The body of a malefactor was procured by Dr. Patrick 

 Dun and dissected by Sir Thomas Molyneux over a week's period; 

 the latter also did the reading from a book entitled. Anatomy 

 Epitomized. A skeleton was assembled from this subject (Cun- 

 ningham, 1885; Macalister, 1884). 



An anatomical theatre was opened on the campus of the 

 University, during 1711, in an ugly old red brick building; it was 

 the first of its kind in the British Isles; this was the same year 

 that the Board of Trinity College decreed that each medical can- 

 didate should be examined in all parts of anatomy. Twelve months 

 prior to these events, a chair of anatomy was founded at Trinity 

 College (University of Dublin) (Cunningham, '03; Doolin, '51; 

 Macalister, 1884). 



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