Robert Adams (1791 – 13 January 1875) was an Irish surgeon and was three times President of 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 ...

(RCSI), in 1840, 1860 and 1867.

Early life and education

Adams was born in 1791 in Dublin,

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and studied at

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

between 1810 and 1814. He received his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in 1814. He began his

medical training Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, including the initial training to become a physician (i.e., medical school and internship) and additional training thereafter (e.g., residency, fellowship, ...

under William Hartigan and George Stewart, leading Dublin surgeons. He was elected a fellow of the RCSI in 1818 and then went abroad to complete his

medical Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

and

surgical Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery ...

training. Adams did not take the M.B. degree until 1842. In that year he became an M.D., and in 1861 received the newly instituted qualification of Master in Surgery. The greater part of Adams' anatomical studies were undertaken in the RCSI under Abraham Colles. In 1816, he obtained the Letters Testimonial, and on 2 November 1818, he was promoted to Membership of the College. He was elected surgeon to the

Jervis Street Hospital Jervis Street Hospital () was a hospital in Jervis Street in Dublin, Ireland. The site of the hospital became the Jervis Shopping Centre. History Charitable infirmary, Cook Street The hospital was founded by six Dublin surgeons, George Duany, ...

and the Richmond Hospital. He took part in founding the Richmond Hospital Medical School, later

Carmichael School of Medicine Carmichael School of Medicine was a medical school in Dublin, Ireland. History The school was founded in 1864 with funds bequeathed by Richard Carmichael. Designed in 1864 as a school of medicine beside the then three northside hospitals ( ...

and taught there for many years.

Career

Adams later became three times president of the RCSI and the Dublin Pathological Society, and, in 1862, both Surgeon in Ordinary to the

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

in Ireland, and Regius Professor of Surgery at

. His work focussed on

cardiac The heart is a muscular organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissu ...

respiratory The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies gr ...

vascular Vascular can refer to: * blood vessels, the vascular system in animals * vascular tissue Vascular tissue is a complex transporting tissue, formed of more than one cell type, found in vascular plants. The primary components of vascular tissue ...

and

joint A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

diseases, and emphasised

postmortem 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 death; ...

examination. His fame chiefly rests on his ‘Treatise on Rheumatic Gout, or Chronic Rheumatic Arthritis of all the Joints’ (8vo, London, 1857, with an Atlas of Illustrations in 4to; 2nd edition, 1873). This work, though describing a disease more or less known for centuries, contains so much novel and important research as to have become the classical work on the subject. He published a number of important medical texts, including ''Diseases of the Heart'', but it was his work on

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

, from which he suffered himself, that made him famous. Stokes–Adams disease is named after himself and William Stokes.

Death

Adams died 13 January 1875 and was buried in

Mount Jerome Cemetery Mount Jerome Cemetery & Crematorium () is situated in Harold's Cross on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. Since its foundation in 1836, it has witnessed over 300,000 burials. Originally an exclusively Protestant cemetery, Roman Catholics have a ...

, Dublin.

Selected publications

''Chronic Rheumatic Arthritis of the Shoulder-Joint''
(1849)
''A Treatise on Rheumatic Gout, or Chronic Rheumatic Arthritis of All the Joints''
(1857)

References

External links

Robert Adams
Dictionary of Irish Biography, Royal Irish Academy

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Robert 1791 births 1875 deaths 19th-century Irish medical doctors Robert Adams Gout researchers Irish cardiac surgeons Medical doctors from Dublin (city) Presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland