| Description | The cartoons in this collection relate to public health concerns in Dublin and/or Sir Charles Cameron.
Sir Charles Cameron (1830-1921) was born in Dublin, the son of a Scottish army officer and Irish mother. Cameron first worked in the laboratories of the apothecaries Bewley & Evans, before studying medicine in Dublin and Germany. He had a number of hospital and teaching appointments including Professor of Hygiene and Political Medicine (1867-1920) and Chemistry (1875-1920) both in Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, of which institution he was also President.
Best known for his contributions to hygiene and public health, Cameron was the first public analyst for Dublin (1862-1921). He used the powers granted under the Adulteration of Foods Act (1860) to close unhygenic slaughter houses and condemn diseases/unsound food. He was also Dublin's Medical Officer of Health (1874), medical superintendent officer of health (1879), and chief sanitary officer (1881). He was responsible for numerous reforms in public health administration, especially in the provision of public housing. He understood the importance of adequate sanitation and undertook measures to improve the water supply and drainage, introduced widespread sanitary inspections, provided free disinfectant, and trained female sanitary officers to educate the poor in domestic hygiene. During this time the death rate from infectious diseases in the capital declined from 9 per 1,000 in 1879 to 1.3 per 1,000 in 1919. |
| History | Thomas Fitzpatrick (1860-1912), was a cartoonist, illuminator and magazine publisher. Fitzpatrick trained at the Cork colour printing and publishing firm Messrs. Guy. On completing his apprenticeship he moved to Dublin, where he worked as a lithographer. He also began contributing cartoons to the press under the tutelage of John Fergus O'Hea (Spex) and worked as a book and magazine illustrator. Fitzpatrick went on to be one of the most prominent cartoonists for nationalist papers. He contributed to the satirical magazine 'Pat', the 'Weekly Freeman', the 'Irish Fogaro', the 'Irish Emerald', 'the Nation', 'Punch', the 'New York Gaelic America', and was chief cartoonist in the 'National Press'.
In 1905 he launched his own satirical magazine, 'The Lepracaun', which he edited and drew most of the cartoons and illustrations for. According to Walter Strickland in his Dictionary of Irish Artists (1913), it was in 'The Leprechaun' 'in which his best and most humorous work is to be found' He showed much fertility of invention and happy humour and had a keen eye for social abuses and hypocrisy in public life, which he never hesitated to expose with keen satire; but though he dealt unsparingly with public men, there was humour and kindly spirit underlying his work which never left a sting behind it.' |
| Acquisition | Donated by Matthew Russell and Fr John Russell, in memory of their parents, Dr Matthew J Russell and Dr Angela G Russell. The cartoons originally belonged to Dr Matthew J Russell, who was assistant to Charles Cameron as Dublin City Medical Officer of Health for many years, and succeeded him in the post on Cameron's retirement in 1921.
Matthew and Fr John Russell have also donated a number of other public health related material to the collections (ACC/2012/1, ACC/2014/2, ACC/2017/3). |