Thomas Percy Claude Kirkpatrick Archive

Context

Creator(s): Kirkpatrick, Thomas Percy Claude, 1869-1954

• Administrative History ↴

  Thomas Percy Claude Kirkpatrick was born on 10 September 1869, the second son of John Rutherford Kirkpatrick (c 1832-1889), a leading practitioner and professor of midwifery. Kirkpatrick was educated at Foyle College in Derry before taking a first in history from Trinity College Dublin (1891) and graduating MB and MD in 1895. Kirkpatrick was anaesthetist to Dr Steevens' Hospital, then visiting physician to the same hospital as well as to the Westmoreland Lock Hospital. As well as anaesthetics Kirkpatrick was interested in venereal diseases, establishing a special clinic at Steevens' and publishing on the subject. Kirkpatrick was admitted as a Member of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland in 1903, and elected a Fellow the following year. From 1910 to 1954 he served as the College's Registrar, and was secretary of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland for almost as long. Aside from his medical career Kirkpatrick was a prolific author on the history of his profession. His three major works, histories of the medical school at Trinity College Dublin, the Rotunda and Dr Steevens' Hospitals, were published in 1912, 1913 and 1924 respectively. He also wrote numerous pamphlets and articles on Irish hospitals, Irish medical men and other historical topics. Kirkpatrick was president of the Irish Historical Society (1948-1951), the Royal Irish Academy (1946-1949) and was a member and president of the Friendly Brothers' Club. Kirkpatrick lived at 11 Fitzwilliam Place, with his unmarried sister Sibyl. He died on 9 July 1954 in Dr Steevens' Hospital and was buried in Mount Jerome cemetary. A Note on Names - Kirkpatrick was generally known as Percy or 'Kirk' by his friends and contemporaries. Due to his membership of the Friendly Brothers' Club he was addressed by his fellow members as Brother or Brother Kirk, and while he was president as 'Your Grand Benevolence' of 'Sir John Friendly'. All of these names can be found within the collection, especially within the correspondence section. For clarity throughout this list he will be referred to as Kirkpatrick, and other male members of his family will be referred to by their full names.

• Archival History ↴

  The Kirkpatrick Archive forms part of the Kirkpatrick Bequest which was left to the College in Kirkpatrick's Will. This included his personal library, his collection of newspaper cuttings on Irish Doctors (the Kirkpatrick Newspaper Archive), Kirkpatrick's personal and professional papers and his collection of manuscripts. The last two portions of the bequest are covered by this catalogue. The Kirkpatrick Archive was bequeathed to the College in 1954, a partial cataloguing was carried out at about this time, although this only covered part of Kirkpatick's collection of manuscripts and none of his own papers. Kirkpatrick's own papers were found in the same files he stored them in and this arrangement has been kept.

• Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

  Bequest