John Shekleton (bapt. 5 April 1795 – 18 May 1824) was an Irish doctor and anatomist.

Early life

Shekleton was born in

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

, Ireland, around the year 1795. He was one of 10 children: five boys and five girls. His mother was Margaret Pentland from

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

and his father was a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

named Joseph Shekleton. Shekleton's grandfather held property at Pepperstown in

Ardee Ardee (; , ) is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. The town shows evidence of development from the thirteenth century onward but as a result of the continued develo ...

in County Louth. Shekleton attended primary school in Dundalk.

Career

As the age of 15, Shekleton began training in medicine at the

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a not-for-profit medical professional and educational institution, which is also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. It was established in 1784 as the national body ...

under

Abraham Colles Abraham Colles (23 July 1773 – 16 November 1843) was an Irish surgeon and physician who served as Professor of Anatomy, Surgery and Physiology at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and the P ...

. He graduated on 27 August 1816 and moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, to continue his studies. Shekleton returned to Ireland in 1817 and was appointed as anatomy demonstrator at RCSI. He was elected to membership of RCSI on 1 February 1819. On 1 May 1820, RCSI established a museum with a budget of £200 per year, overseen by a five-member committee. Candidates for the position of curator were required to demonstrate examples of their anatomy specimens. Shekleton presented a mercury injection of the

lymph system The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphoid organs, lympha ...

of the

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and was appointed as curator with a salary of £30 per annum. On 17 February 1821, Shekleton received an increased salary of £40. In 1823, he was promoted in title to conservator. As of 2014, Shekleton's winning specimen remains on display in the RCSI anatomy department. By 1822, Shekleton has amassed over 600 specimens, which he increased to more than 1,300 by December 1823. The collection included natural history specimens in jars, partial and complete skeletons, and stuffed and mounted examples from nature. Shekleton discovered the muscle ''compressor venae dorsalis penis''. After Shekleton's sudden death at the age of 29, he was succeeded as curator by his apprentice John Houston.

Death

Shekleton's death on 18 May 1824 was attributed to

sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

from a

needlestick injury A needlestick injury is the penetration of the skin by a hypodermic needle or other sharp object that has been in contact with blood, tissue or other body fluids before the exposure. Even though the acute physiological effects of a needlestick ...

acquired while performing an

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

11 days beforehand.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shekleton, John 1790s births 1824 deaths 19th-century Irish medical doctors Irish anatomists People from Dundalk Alumni of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical doctors from County Louth Scientists from County Louth