Barry Edward O'Meara (1786–1836), born in Newtown House, Newtown-on-Sea (now known as

Blackrock BlackRock, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multi-national investment company based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a Enterprise risk management, risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackR ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

and founding member of the

Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club on the south side of Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it comprised an all-male membership for decades, but it was one of the first all-male cl ...

, who accompanied

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

and became his physician, having been surgeon on board the

Bellerophon Bellerophon (; Ancient Greek: Βελλεροφῶν) or Bellerophontes (), born as Hipponous, was a hero of Greek mythology. He was "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles", and his ...

when the emperor surrendered himself. He was a medical graduate of

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

Life

O'Meara is remembered as the author of ''Napoleon in Exile, or A Voice From St. Helena'' (1822) a book which charged Sir

Hudson Lowe Sir Hudson Lowe (28 July 176910 January 1844) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and colonial administrator who is best known for his time as Governor of St Helena, where he was the "gaoler" of the Emperor Napoléon. Early life The son of John Lowe, ...

with mistreating the former emperor and created no small sensation on its appearance. Less known are his secret letters he sent clandestinely from Saint Helena to a clerk at the Admiralty in London. These letters shed a unique light on Napoleon's state of mind as a captive and the causes of his complaints against Lowe and the British government. O'Meara was also the physician to have performed the very first medical operation on Napoleon: by extracting a

wisdom tooth A third molar, commonly called wisdom tooth, is one of the three molars per quadrant of the human dentition. It is the most posterior of the three. The age at which wisdom teeth come through ( erupt) is variable, but this generally occurs betwe ...

in the autumn of 1817.

Legacy

O'Meara's granddaughter, Kathleen O'Meara was a Catholic writer based in Paris.Flaherty, M. (1911). Kathleen O'Meara. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 6 December 2014 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11250b.htm O'Meara was portrayed by Michael Williams in the 1972 Anglo-American historical drama film ''

Eagle in a Cage ''Eagle in a Cage'' is an Anglo-American historical drama film, produced in 1972. Plot summary After his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and surrender to the British Empire, Napoleon Bonaparte is delivered into exile and imprisonment on St. He ...

''.

Notes

References

* ''O'Meara, Barry Edward'', pp. 806–07, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 41 - Norbury - Osborn'',

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, 2004. * ', Albert Benhamou, 2012, . Irish surgeons 1786 births 1836 deaths 19th-century Irish medical doctors Royal Navy officers Irish sailors in the Royal Navy {{Ireland-med-bio-stub

Life

Legacy

See also

Notes

References