Sir Philip Crampton, 1st Baronet
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sir Philip Crampton, 1st Baronet, FRS MRCSI MRIA (7 June 1777 – 10 June 1858) was an eminent Irish surgeon and anatomist. He was President of the
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a not-for-profit medical professional and educational institution, which is also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. It was established in 1784 as the national body ...
(RCSI) in 1811, 1820, 1844 and 1855.


Life

Crampton was born in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, the son of John Crampton and Anne (née Verner). His father, a prosperous dentist, was a member of the
Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
, while his mother was
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
, of Ulster-Scottish descent with ancestral roots in
Auchendinny Auchendinny (, meaning field of the fox) is a small village in Glencorse near Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland. The village had a paper mill at Dalmore, until its closure in 2005. This was Midlothian's last remaining papermill and after demolition ...
. He was a childhood friend of
Theobald Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone (; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a revolutionary exponent of Irish independence and is an iconic figure in Irish republicanism. Convinced that, so long as his fellow Protestants fear ...
, the United Irishman, and a cousin, on his mother's side, of Thomas Verner, Grand Master of the
Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...
. He was indentured to Solomon Richards and soon after commenced studies at the RCSI. He joined the
army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
as an assistant surgeon. When he was appointed surgeon to the
Meath Hospital The Meath Hospital () was a general hospital in the Earl of Meath's Liberty in Dublin, Ireland. It was absorbed into the Tallaght Hospital in June 1998. History The hospital was opened to serve the sick and poor in the crowded area of the Li ...
in 1798 he was not yet fully qualified, and went on to graduate MD in
Glasgow University The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...
in 1800 and by 1801 he was a Member of the RCSI. He was to remain in the Meath Hospital for nearly sixty years. A few years later he also became assistant surgeon at the Lock Hospital, Dublin and also built up a large private practice at his house in Dawson St. He joined Peter Harkan in teaching anatomy in private lectures, forming the first private school of anatomy and surgery in the city.Obituary, British Medical Journal, 26 June 1858 Cameron in his ''History of the RCSI'' notes of him: " In 1805 Crampton published an essay on Entropeon, or inversion of the eyelid, which excited considerable interest at the time. In 1813 he described a muscle in the eyes of birds, arising from the inner surface of the bony hoop which surrounds the cornea, and terminating in a circular tendon connected with the circular lamina of the cornea. By means of this muscle the lens can be so adjusted—telescoped, so to speak—as to enable it to see objects at short or long distances, as required. This muscle has been termed musculus cramptonius in honour of its discoverer".Cameron, Sir Charles A. (1886) History of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and of the Irish Schools of Medicine &c Dublin: Fannin & Co. pp. 343-344. He became a
Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
(F.R.S.) in Ireland for this treatise on the construction of eyes of birds. This was later published, with other writings, in the ''
Dublin Journal of Medical Science The ''Irish Journal of Medical Science'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed medical journal that was established in 1832 by Robert Kane as the ''Dublin Journal of Medical & Chemical Science''. Besides Kane, it had distinguished editors like Robert Jame ...
''. In 1821, together with Sir Henry Marsh (with whom he shared a mutual cousin,
Philip Cecil Crampton Philip Cecil Crampton PC (May 1783 in Dublin – 29 December 1862) was a judge, politician and Solicitor-General for Ireland. He was also a noted supporter of the cause of total abstinence from alcohol. He was born in Dublin, the fourth son ...
) and Dr. Charles Johnston, he founded a children's hospital in Pitt St. (now Balfe St.), the Institute for Sick Children in 1821. This hospital was the first teaching children's hospital in Ireland or Great Britain. The main objective of the hospital was to treat sick children in one of the poorest parts of Dublin,
The Liberties The Liberties ( or occasionally ) is an area in central Dublin, Ireland, located in the southwest of the inner city. Formed from various areas of special manorial jurisdiction, initially separate from the main city government, it is one of Dub ...
. He resigned the chief-surgeoncy of the Lock Hospital when he was appointed surgeon-general to the forces in Ireland. He remained as consulting surgeon to
Dr Steevens' Hospital Dr Steevens' Hospital (also called Dr Steevens's Hospital) (), one of Ireland's most distinguished eighteenth-century medical establishments, was located at Kilmainham in Dublin Ireland. It was founded under the terms of the will of Richard Stee ...
and the Dublin Lying-in Hospital. He was elected President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) on four occasions. Lady
Harriet Kavanagh Lady Harriet Kavanagh (13 October 1799 – 14 July 1885) was an Irish artist, traveller, and antiquarian, described as a "woman of high culture and of unusual artistic power." She is thought to be the first Irish female traveller to Egypt. Ear ...
recruited him to help support her son
Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh (25 March 1831 – 25 December 1889) was an Irish politician. His middle name is spelt MacMorrough in some contemporaneous sources. Biography Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh was born on 25 March 1831 at Borris House in C ...
, who was born with vestigial limbs, in living an active life. Crampton created a mechanical wheelchair for the child, who later went on to be an MP. Crampton was created a
baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
on 14 March 1839.Boylan, p. 86 He was always interested in
zoological science Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction">extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoolo ...
and played an active part in founding the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland and was many times its president. In 1853, he was introduced to a large
plesiosaur The Plesiosauria or plesiosaurs are an Order (biology), order or clade of extinct Mesozoic marine reptiles, belonging to the Sauropterygia. Plesiosaurs first appeared in the latest Triassic Period (geology), Period, possibly in the Rhaetian st ...
fossil by the Marquess of Normanby at the latter's residence,
Mulgrave Castle Mulgrave Castle refers to one of three structures on the same property in Lythe, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. One of these, known as the "old" or "ancient" castle, was by legend founded by Wade (folklore), Wada, a 6th-century ruler of ...
. Later that year, Crampton transferred the fossil to the Royal Zoological Society in Dublin. A decade later, after Crampton's death, the specimen was moved to the
Royal Dublin Society The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) () is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. It was long active as a learned ...
museum and was officially described by
Alexander Carte Alexander Carte Doctor of Medicine, MD, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, FRCSI, Royal Irish Academy, MRIA (11 August 1805 – 25 September 1881) was an Ireland, Irish zoologist and paleontology, palaeontologist and was first director Natur ...
and W. H. Bailey as a new species of ''
Plesiosaurus ''Plesiosaurus'' (Greek: ' ('), near to + ' ('), lizard) is a genus of extinct, large marine sauropterygian reptile that lived during the Early Jurassic. It is known by nearly complete skeletons from the Lias of England. It is distinguishable by ...
''. Carte and Bailey named the species '' Plesiosaurus cramptoni'' in Crampton's honour. Crampton was also a member of the
Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...
. He died at his residence, 14
Merrion Square Merrion Square () is a Georgian architecture, Georgian garden square on the Southside Dublin, southside of Dublin city centre. History The square was laid out in 1762 to a plan by John Smyth and Jonathan Barker for the estate of Richard Fitz ...
, in Dublin. By his wife, the former Selina Cannon (the daughter of an army officer whom he married on 10 May 1800, and who died on 9 April 1834 from burns she sustained in an accident), he had two sons and four daughters. He was succeeded in the title by his eldest son John, second and last Baronet.


The Crampton Memorial

The Crampton Memorial, at the junction of College Street with
Pearse Street Pearse Street () is a major street in Dublin. It runs from College Street in the west to MacMahon Bridge in the east, and is one of the city's longest streets. It has several different types of residential and commercial property along its le ...
and
D'Olier Street D'Olier Street ( ; ) is a street in the southern city-centre of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. It and Westmoreland Street are two broad streets whose northern ends meet at the southern end of O'Connell Bridge over the River Liffey. Its sout ...
, was erected from the design of John Kirk the sculptor in 1862. It was of a curious design, consisting of a bust above a fountain and surmounted by a cascade of metal foliage. This monument was locally known in the 19th century as the "water-babe", and later as the "cauliflower", "pineapple" or "artichoke".Peter, p. 32 As it was slowly falling apart, it was removed in 1959.''Reinventing Modern Dublin'' by Yvonne Whelan
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
references the monument in his novel '' Ulysses'' when
Leopold Bloom Leopold Paula Bloom is the fictional protagonist and hero of James Joyce's 1922 novel '' Ulysses''. His peregrinations and encounters in Dublin on 16 June 1904 mirror, on a more mundane and intimate scale, those of Ulysses/Odysseus in Homer's ...
passes the monument and thinks, "Sir Philip Crampton's memorial fountain bust. Who was he?" Joyce also references the sculpture in his novel ''
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'' is the second book and first novel of Irish writer James Joyce, published in 1916. A ''Künstlerroman'' written in a modernist style, it traces the religious and intellectual awakening of young Ste ...
'' as the protagonist
Stephen Dedalus Stephen Dedalus is James Joyce's literary alter ego, appearing as the protagonist and antihero of his first, semi-autobiographic novel of artistic existence, ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'' (1916), and as a major character in his 19 ...
explains different forms of art to his friend: “Is the bust of Sir Philip Crampton lyrical, epical, or dramatic?”


References and sources

;Notes ;Sources * * * * *


External links


A history of the Crampton Memorial (with photographs)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crampton, Philip 1777 births 1858 deaths 19th-century Irish medical doctors 19th-century Irish zoologists Irish surgeons Irish anatomists Irish people of Ulster-Scottish descent Irish Protestants Alumni of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Alumni of the University of Glasgow Medical doctors from Dublin (city) Fellows of the Royal Society Members of the Royal Irish Academy Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Physicians of the Meath Hospital Presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland