Feeding a Fever with the Graves Cafe

Over the summer No 6 Kildare Street, the home of RCPI, is opening a cafe in the Graves Hall. But just who was Graves?

Robert James Graves (1796-1853) was a very influential Fellow and President of the College. Shortly after graduating from Trinity College, Dublin (1818) Graves travelled to and trained in Europe, starting in London, then going onto France, Italy, Copenhagen, Berlin and Edinburgh, returning to Ireland with fresh ideas on teaching and heavily supported bedside training for doctors.  This he practiced alongside his colleague in the Meath Hospital, William Stokes and their influence would spread to North America and from there throughout the English-speaking world.

In 1822, while Ireland was in the grip of famine, Graves volunteered to travel to the west of Ireland to assist with the outbreak of typhus fever which had reached epidemic status.  During this period Grave wrote extensively on the treatment of fever, which later lead to a revolutionary new management of fever – encouraging patients to eat, where before very sparse diets were the norm.  1832 brought another epidemic to Ireland, Cholera.  Graves was instrumental during this period in tracing the origin of the disease, proving that it was in fact infectious, a much disputed theory and how it spread. 

Graves was an advocate for, and practitioner of, continued educations for medics, maintaining that in order to retain credibility a teacher must keep up to date with modern advances and practices, along with reading and research.

In 1853, he purchased Clogan Castle in Banagher, Co Galway, on the urging of his third wife, unfortunately he would be unable to enjoy his retirement to the country as he died shortly after the purchase was completed.

In 1877 a statue of Dr Robert Graves was unveiled in the main hall of the College, and still stands in the Graves Hall, along statues of his colleague William Stokes, Sir Dominic Corrigan and Sir Henry Marsh.