Royal College of Physicians of Ireland

Identity Statement

Content & Structure

• Scope & Content: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland ↴

  This collection contains the records of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland from its foundation in 1667 to the present. The first four sections cover the governing statutes of the College, the College administration and finances, including the Sir Patrick Dun’s Trust which was administered by the College and owned land in county Waterford.
  Three further sections cover the membership of the College, including Members, Fellows, Licentiates, Honorary Fellows and Officers, the Association of Members, where members discussed medical topics, and the Institutes and Faculties established in the College in the twentieth century.

  The collection contains a substantial amount of material relating to the Heritage Centre of the College, epecially the Dun’s Library and the items collected by the College over time relating to their history. There is also a large collection of material relating to the College’s building on Kildare Street, including papers relating to its construction and subsequent repair and improvement works, as well as a number of architectural plans.

  The final five sections of the collection cover specific areas of the College’s activities over time; their involvement with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in founding and running the Conjoint Examinations Board Ireland; the often fractious relationship between the College, apothecaries and the professions representatives in Apothecaries Hall; the production by the College of the Dublin Pharmacopaeia; the opinion of the College on legislation which directly or indirectly effect the medical profession; the College’s involvement in and views on medical education and registration; and events held by the College.

  The majority of the papers date from the nineteenth century onwards, as this was when the College found a permanent home and so were able to more systematically collect and maintain an archive. There are some papers dating from the eighteenth century, especially in the areas of College administration and the Dun’s Trust, as well as a handful dating from the seventeenth century.

• Appraisal Destruction ↴

  Permanent Retention

• Accruals ↴

  The archive continues to collect the records of the College, with accruals on an annual basis

• Arrangement ↴

  Papers have been divided into fifteen sections by record type. Within each section further sub-divisions have been made and items have been arranged chronologically.

  Part 1 – Governing Statues
  Part 2 – Administrative Papers
  Part 3 – Financial Papers
  Part 4 – Sir Patrick Dun’s Trust
  Part 5 – Membership of the College
  Part 6 – Association of Members
  Part 7 – Institute and Faculties
  Part 8 – Heritage Centre
  Part 9 – Number 6 Kildare Street
  Part 10 – Conjoint Examinations Board Ireland
  Part 11 – Apothecaries
  Part 12 – The Dublin Pharmacoaeia
  Part 13 – Legislation
  Part 14 – Medical Educationn and Registration
  Part 15 – College Events

Conditions of Access & Use

Allied Materials

There are no Allied Materials

Descriptive Control Area