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History

An apothecary named Thomas Smith who was Lord Mayor of Dublin at the time founded the University of Dublin in 1592, but it was not until 1711, following the construction of the first Anatomy School Building, that the Medical School was officially opened. Since the School of Medicine has developed into a unique institution. With a proud tradition of scholarship and research, it has made a significant contribution to development of medicine.

A Proud Heritage Inspiring Excellence

1711 First medical school building opened on August 16. The building stood on a site now occupied by the Berkeley Library.

1713 Death of Sir Patrick Dun, a leading physician in Dublin and former President of the College of Physicians of Ireland. He left a substantial bequest to support the appointment of a Professor of Physic.

1745 Rotunda Hospital, the first charitable maternity hospital in these islands, opened.

1761 George Cleghorn appointed Professor of Anatomy and Chirurgery. He is credited with the first description of infectious hepatitis.

1808 Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital established as a teaching hospital with funds derived from the Sir Patrick Dun's bequest.

1813 James Macartney appointed Professor of Anatomy and Chirurgery. He helped establish the fame of the medical school and he had a major influence on students such as Graves and Corrigan.

1825 Opening of a new medical school known as Macartney's Medical School at the west end of the College.

1826 Coombe Lying-In Hospital founded.

1827 Robert James Graves appointed Professor of the Institutes of Medicine (physiology/pathology). Graves achieved renown on both sides of the Atlantic as a clinical teacher as well as for his description of hyperthyroidism.

William Montgomery appointed first Professor of Midwifery (obstetrics). Montgomery wrote a classic book on pregnancy and delivery in 1837.

1845 William Stokes elected Regius Professor of Physic. He is acknowledged internationally as one of the founders of cardiology.

1847 Robert William Smith appointed Professor of Surgery. He described Smith's fracture of the wrist and he wrote the first detailed description of neurofibromatosis.

1864 Work began on erecting several new buildings for the medical school. The work proceeded over 30 years and resulted in the fine range of buildings now facing College Park on the west side.

1870 Diploma of State Medicine (preventative medicine) established. It was the first in Ireland and Great Britain.

1873 Edward Hallaran Bennett elected Professor of Surgery. He is remembered for his description of Bennett's fracture of the thumb.

1883 Daniel John Cunningham appointed Professor of Anatomy and Chirurgery. His anatomy textbooks were used widely and for a considerable period of time.

1904 Board of Trinity College agrees to the admission of women to study medicine.

1912 Bicentenary celebrations with guests from over one hundred universities and medical organisations worldwide. Several distinguished guests including Sir William Osler received honorary degrees.

1914-18 Sixty graduates of the School of Physic lost their lives and many more were wounded in the Great War.

1922 Alexander Charles O'Sullivan appointed first Professor of Pathology. Chair of Physiology established.

1935 Denis Burkitt graduated. He would become famous for his work on Burkitt's Lymphoma.

1937 William Hayes, who would become one of the leading geneticists of the twentieth century, graduated.

1952 W.J.E. Jessop appointed to first chair of social and preventive medicine

1953 The Moyne Institute of Preventative Medicine was built. It was funded by Grania Guinness (now the dowager Marchioness of Normanby) in memory of her father, the first Baron Moyne. One wing would house the Department of Bacteriology and the other the Department of Social ands Preventive Medicine. {INSTEAD OF 1950}

1959 W. J. E. Jessop was appointed Dean of the Medical School and he led a major reform of the school and its relationship with its teaching hospitals - Dr. Steevens' Hospital (1720), Mercer's Hospital (1734), Meath Hospital (1753), Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital (1808), National Children's Hospital (1821), Baggot Street Hospital (1832) and the Adelaide Hospital (1839).

1960 Robert Steen of the National Children's Hospital, Harcourt Street, was appointed first Professor of Paediatrics. Peter Gatenby appointed first full-time Clinical Professor of Medicine. He developed a clinical medicine professorial unit in the Meath Hospital.

1961 Formation of the Federated Dublin Voluntary Hospitals. The seven teaching hospitals associated with Trinity were brought together under the control of a Central Council on which the College was represented.

1962 Chair of Pharmacology established

1967 George Fegan appointed Professor of Surgery. He became famous for his pioneering work on varicose veins. He established a Department of Surgery in Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital.

1967 George Fegan appointed Professor of Surgery. He became famous for his pioneering work on varicose veins. He established a Department of Surgery in Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital.

General Practice student attachment scheme set up by Professor James McCormick.

1969 Peter Beckett appointed first Professor of Psychiatry, in association with St. Patrick's Hospital.

1970 Trinity College entered into a teaching agreement with the Federated Dublin Voluntary Hospitals.

1971 St. James's Hospital (formerly St. Kevin's Hospital) established

1973 Temporary teaching centre for Trinity College in St. James's Hospital established.

James McCormick appointed Professor of Community Health.

1975 John Bonnar appointed first full time Chair of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Tom Hennessy appointed first full-time Professor of Surgery.

1980 Construction of new teaching hospital at St. James's Hospital begins.

1982 Donald Weir appointed Professor of Medicine. Together with John Scott, they elucidated the role of folic acid in the prevention of spina bifida and other neural tube defects. This helped to promote the consumption of folate tablets by women about to become pregnant which prevented the development of these defects.

1982 Donald Weir appointed Professor of Medicine. Together with John Scott, they elucidated the role of folic acid in the prevention of spina bifida and other neural tube defects. This helped to promote the consumption of folate tablets by women about to become pregnant which prevented the development of these defects.

1983 Sir Patrick Dun's Research Laboratory constructed at St. James's Hospital. The first research laboratory to be built on a hospital campus in the Republic of Ireland.
Closure of Mercer's Hospital and the movement of the services to St. James's Hospital. The other voluntary hospitals designated to move to St. James's all closed within a few years. Sir Patrick Dun's laboratory, which provided new research facilities at St. James's Hospital, opened.

1987 Colm O'Morain and his team show that the elimination of helicobacter pylori with antibiotics prevented the recurrence of duodenal ulceration.

1988 Mercer's Institute for Research on Ageing at St. James's Hospital established.

1992 Opening of clinical phase of the new St. James's Hospital.

1993 First Professorship of General Practice established.

1994 Trinity Centre for Health Sciences at St. James's Hospital, providing accommodation for academic departments and a medical library, opened.

1998 Closure of the Meath and Adelaide Hospitals and the National Children's Hospital and their transfer to a new teaching hospital, the Adelaide & Meath Hospital, Incorporating the National Children's Hospital (AMNCH) in Tallaght.

2000 The completion of the Trinity Centre for Health Sciences at AMNCH.

2001 New chairs of medicine and surgery created at AMNCH.

2002 Edward Kennedy Professorship of Health Policy and Management established.

2003 The John Durkan Leukaemia Research Laboratories and the Institute of Molecular Medicine at St. James's Hospital officially opened.

2005 Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN) established.

2006 The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) launched.

2008 Establishment of Chair in Population Health.

2009 Refurbished laboratory, the Sir Patrick Dun Translational Research Laboratory at TCD's School of Medicine and St James's Hospital, opened.

2011 Opening of Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, the new home of the School of Medicine. Tercentenary Celebrations.