A surgical operation to remove a malignant tumour from a man's left breast and armpit in a Dublin drawing room, 1817. Watercolour, ca 1913, after a watercolour, 1817.

The original watercolour appears to be a drawing by a student who was present at this operation in 1817 in a Dublin drawing room. The surgeon performing the operation is identified as Rawdon Macnamara, President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1831, who was at the time only two years qualified and probably apprenticed to Sir Philip Crampton depicted in blue coat and hunting boots. The patient died a few days later

The name inscribed at the foot seems to be "R. Power". O'Brien interprets this as the name of the patient and gives his forename as Richard. It might however be the name of the artist, in which case he might have been the Robert F. Power who according to Cameron, loc. cit., was appointed in 1836/1837 lecturer in midwifery at the Theatre of anatomy and School of surgery which existed at 27 Peter Street, Dublin, from 1832 to 1841 (mentioned here as a possibility to be investigated)

1913

1 painting : watercolour ; sheet 23 x 24.4 cm

R Power operated on July 28th died this Augt 11th 1817.

Sir Charles Cameron, History of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, 1886, p. 531

Eoin O'Brien, Conscience and conflict: a biography of Sir Dominic Corrigan 1802-1880, Dublin 1983, plate 29, p. 119 (the Meath Hospital version)

Wellcome Collection 23451i

After: a watercolour in the Library of Meath Hospital, Dublin, currently (2002) part of The Adelaide & Meath Hospital, Dublin, Incorporating the National Childrens Hospital at Tallaght

Exhibited in "Cancer Revolution: Science, Innovation and Hope" at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, 22 October 2021 - 27 March 2022, and the Science Museum, 25 May 2022 - 31 January 2023