Thomas Fitzpatrick public health cartoons
An interesting
addition to the archive catalogue comes in the shape of a small collection of
public health cartoons by Thomas Fitzpatrick (1860-1912). A prominent
cartoonist for nationalist papers in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth
centuries, Fitzpatrick also edited his own satirical magazine, ‘The Lepracaun’,
from 1905 to 1911.
All of the seven cartoons in
this small collection relate to public health concerns in Dublin or Ireland generally. Many of the
cartoons also relate to Sir Charles Cameron (1830-1921). Best known for his
contributions to hygiene and public health, Cameron was the first public
analyst for Dublin (1862-1921). He used the powers granted under the
Adulteration of Foods Act (1860) to close unhygienic slaughter houses and
condemn diseases and unsound food. He was also Dublin's Medical Officer of
Health (1874), medical superintendent officer of health (1879), and chief
sanitary officer (1881). He was responsible for numerous reforms in public
health administration, especially in the provision of public housing. He understood
the importance of adequate sanitation and undertook measures to improve the
water supply and drainage, introduced widespread sanitary inspections, provided
free disinfectant, and trained female sanitary officers to educate the poor in
domestic hygiene. During this time the death rate from infectious diseases in
the capital declined from 9 per 1,000 in 1879 to 1.3 per 1,000 in 1919.
'Cream of the Valley'
In this cartoon, Fitzpatrick depicts an overweight farmer being led away by a stern magistrate. The issue was that the farmer was guilty of adulterating his milk with water. Cameron was one of the few public analysts in Britain and Ireland, and in this role he was particularly active in sampling milk for adulterations. In the 1860s he tested five times the number of milk samples as the rest of the UK put together.
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| 'Cream of the valley' (TF/1) |
'In loving memory of Bull Alley'
Cartoon of a scene at a slaughter house in Bull Alley, Dublin. Unhygienic dairy yards and slaughter houses were common in the Dublin slums, and added much to the public health problems in the areas. Bull Alley was one of the worst slum areas of the Dublin Liberties at the end of the 19th century, and between 1891 and 1915 the Iveagh Trust cleared much of the worst accommodation and replaced it with new affordable housing.
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| 'In loving memory of Bull Alley' (TF/2) |
'Registered Dairy'
Illustration of a scene at an unhygienic dairy yard. The problem of unhygienic dairies and contaminated milk was acute in this period, and contributed to the spread of diseases. Cameron was active in campaigning for improved conditions in dairy yards.
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| 'Registered Dairy' (TF/3) |
'Highest death rates in Europe'
Against a background of disease-ridden and decaying slums (some owned by 'City Fathers' - members of Dublin Corporation), an outraged Miss Dublin serves a notice upon the slumbering Public Health Department which states that Dublin has the 'Highest death rate in Europe'. She carries a cat-o-ninetails to whip him into action.
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| 'Highest death rates in Europe' (TF/4) |
'Sloblands Park'
Illustration which shows a scene in 'Sloblands Park', an place in which environmental damage is extensive. Trees have been cut down, rubbish is 'shot', and typhoid is rampant. In the background there are gravestones bearing the names of 'Waterford', 'Belfast', 'The City of Limerick', 'Derry' and 'Cork'.
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| 'Sloblands Park' (TF/5) |
'The Corporation Unemployed'
Cartoon entitled 'The Corporation Unemployed', which was printed in 'The Leprecaun' in February 1910. The text under the title states that 'During the recent snow in the city the streets were neglected for days. We venture to offer the above suggestion.' In the foreground members of Dublin Corporation are shown going to work in the freezing cold with a sweeping brush, spade and shovels.
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| 'The Corporation Unemployed' (TF/6) |
'Cameron freedom of the city'
Illustration which depicts Charles Cameron, who has been bestowed with the freedom of the city, as a guardian angel of the schoolchildren of Dublin.
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| 'Cameron Freedom of the City' (TF/7) |
A PDF of the collection of Thomas Fitzpatrick public health cartoons is available to browse and print off here. The collection will also be fully searchable on the RCPI archive catalogue in the coming days.
Fergus Brady,
Project Archivist