William Daniel was born in Kilkenny around 1570. His mother’s name is unknown but his father was one Nicholas O’Donnell, described in John O’Donovan’s history of east Galway, The tribes and customs of Hy-Many, as a ‘grandson of the earl of Tyrconnell’. It is not clear why this branch of the O’Donnells had settled in … Read more
In 1944 the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) in Dublin pioneered the use of the symphysiotomy operation (see sidebar) as the procedure of choice in certain cases where the woman’s pelvis was deemed too small to permit a normal birth (termed ‘disproportion’). The NMH was Ireland’s leading Catholic-identified maternity hospital. NMH doctors were motivated by the perceived need … Read more
By 1949 Dr Alex Spain, master of the National Maternity Hospital, had performed 43 symphysiotomies. Dr Arthur Barry, his successor, was a fervent advocate of Catholic teachings on human sexuality. He promoted symphysiotomy enthusiastically, extending its use beyond the cautious parameters set by Spain, sometimes with tragic results. Escalating use of the operation brought with … Read more
Symphysiotomy involved cutting the cartilege joining the two parts of the pelvis. It had largely been abandoned in the twentieth century owing to its perceived dangers; Caesarean section (CS) was preferred. The after-effects of symphysiotomy included bladder injuries and impaired locomotion. By the 1940s, surgical advances and the advent of antibiotics had made lower-section CS … Read more
The inspiration for the painting was a ballad or poem ‘Hellalyle and Hildebrand’ that appeared in ‘A second batch of Danish ballads’ translated by Whitley Stokes from Danske Viser, vol. iii, 353, published in Fraser’s Magazine 51 (January–June 1855), pp 88–9. Whitley was the son of Burton’s friend William Stokes, and his note accompanying the … Read more