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Guest post: Surgeon James Kerin (1779-1848) - Part II
Harriet Wheelock

Guest post: Surgeon James Kerin (1779-1848) - Part II

Today we have the second part of Sylvia Turner's guest post on Surgeon James Kerin. If you missed part one you can catch up here.

Role as a surgeon
Trade directories list Kerin as a surgeon working from 9 Great George Street South.  Two incidents in the Press cite Surgeon Kerin, as he was called, and give a sense of those times. A series of duels was fought in 1822 between a Mr O’Meara and a Mr MacLoughlin and the latter was seriously wounded by a bullet. Kerin, along with the Surgeon-General was named as attending MacLoughlin, who did make a recovery. MacLoughlin was later hung for the murder of his step-father and the reports give extensive detail of his original wound.

Dublin Weekly Register Saturday 19th January 1822

In 1832, Kerin attended Mr Carew O’Dwyer, a barrister, who was suffering from cholera and the patient made a full recovery.  Cholera was rife in Ireland in that year. It was still not known that its chief cause was contaminated drinking water so a cure would be based on alleviating its symptoms of chronic diarrhoea and vomiting.  Kerin himself fell victim to the disease the following year and was successfully treated by Henry Marsh and Robert Graves.

Dispensary role and work at Mercers’ Hospital
Apart from paid work, Kerin worked at the Dublin General Dispensary. He is regularly cited in the Press in the monthly reports that were published. For example, he is identified as the medical attendant for the month of April 1833.  The first evidence of this work comes in 1818 when it was reported that he, with the apothecary, Mr McCarthy, saved a man who would have appeared to attempt suicide by jumping into the River Liffey the previous day. The dispensary had been established in 1785 under the patronage of the Duke of Leinster and Lord Donoughmore, acting as President and Vice-President respectively. It was funded by voluntary subscription.  Doctors, unlike the apothecaries in the Dublin dispensaries would not have received pay.  Just the previous week on 17th January it was reported that the Dispensary was in a dire financial state.   However, Kerin remained at the dispensary for most of his working life and despite retiring from the Dispensary in 1841. He remained as consulting surgeon there until not long before his death. He is listed as such at 11 Holles Street in Slater’s Trade Directory (1846).  A report concerning his treatment of a coachman who had fallen from the Kingstown Coach identifies that he worked at Mercer’s Hospital which was founded in 1734 for the sick and the poor initially funded by the will of Mary Mercer. The hospital attracted many eminent clinicians of the time and was supported by the privileged members of Dublin society. 

Positions of Public Office
In 1836 Kerin was appointed as surgeon to the newly established Irish Constabulary. This appoint-ment was heralded in the Press. The Limerick Chronicle referred to his appointment in terms of his family connections. The Dublin Weekly Register carried two reports, the first was from the Evening Packet Newspaper. It noted his character and reputation despite not being a member of the Church of Ireland and holding differing political opinions to the Newspaper. The second report, from the Pilot noted that Kerin had held a similar position as Surgeon to the General Post Office for some time.

Personal life
As identified by the Evening Packet newspaper, there is no direct evidence of Kerin’s involvement in political activity despite his family background. Apart from his professional activities, Kerin is shown to engage in activities as befitting of a gentleman of his time. Information is sparse but reveal he acted in a play at a Ball hosted by Lady Stewartha Howard in Rutland Square, Dublin in April 1818.  and attended the Castle at social events such as a ‘Levee’ and ‘Drawing Room’ event hosted by His Excellency Lord Lieutenant who was the Monarch’s representative in Ireland.

Kerin would seem to have an interest in education. He was one of the ‘noblemen and gentlemen’ on the Committee in 1820 for the Feinaiglian Institute (1813-1830).  Also, he was involved in the formation of Hibernian Society in Dublin.
 
In 1840 Kerin married Catherine Staunton of Kingstown.   Kerin would appear to have had an early association with the Staunton family who originated from Ennis, County Clare as did the O’Loughlen family. Kerin and Staunton are both to be found at the same events such as the Kings-town Benefit Society in 1837.  Both families were strong supporters of Daniel O’Connell.  Michael Staunton (1788-1870) was a politician who became the Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1847 representing the Repeal Association, as did O’Connell 1841-2. Both Kerin and Staunton were pall bearers at the funeral of  Michael O’Loughlen in 1842.

Kerin died of pneumonia, aged 68 on 17th of March 1848 at the Constabulary Barracks in his house in Phoenix Park. He left no will. He is buried in the Staunton family crypt at Glasnevin cemetery. The memorial stone has no inscription. His possessions were removed from the Barracks and sold by auction the following month.

The life of James Kerin has been largely forgotten. However, he was a man who achieved much in his life. He gained both professional recognition from his colleagues and was appointed to posts of national importance. His wife, Catherine died in Kingstown in 1883 aged 87.  They had no children.

Syliva Turner