Background
Crampton was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of a dentist. He was a childhood friend of Theobald Wolfe Tone, the United Irishman, and a cousin, on his mother"s side, of Thomas Verner, Grand Master of the Orange Order.
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Philip Philip Crampton
Edit ProfileCareer
He joined the army when young and became an assistant surgeon. When he was appointed surgeon to the Meath Hospital in 1798 he was not yet fully qualified, and went on to graduate in Glasgow in 1800. A few years later he also became assistant surgeon at the Lock Hospital, Dublin and also built up a large private practice at his house in Dawson Saint He joined Peter Harkan in teaching anatomy in private lectures, forming the first private school of anatomy and surgery in the city.
He became a Fellow of the Royal Society (Federal Reserve System) in Ireland for a treatise on the construction of eyes of birds, written in 1813.
This was later published, with other writings, in the Dublin Journal of Medical Science. In 1821, together with Sir Henry Marsh and Doctor Charles Johnston, he founded a children"s hospital in Pitt Saint (now Balfe Street): the Pitt Saint Institution.
This hospital was the first teaching children"s hospital in Ireland or Great Britain. The main objective of the hospital was to treat sick children in one of the poorest parts of Dublin, The Liberties.
He resigned the chief-surgeoncy of the Lock Hospital when he was appointed surgeon-general to the forces in Ireland.
He remained as consulting surgeon to Doctor Steevens" Hospital and the Dublin Lying-in Hospital. He was three times president of the Dublin College of Surgeons. He was knighted in 1839.
He was always interested in zoological science and played an active part in founding the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland and was many times its president
He died at his residence, 14 Merrion Square, in Dublin., at the junction of College Saint with Pearse Saint and Doctorate"Olier Saint, was erected from the design of John Kirk the sculptor in 1862.
lieutenant was of a curious design, consisting of a bust above a fountain and surmounted by a cascade of metal foliage. This monument was locally known in the 19th century as the " water-babe", and later as the "cauliflower", "pineapple" or "artichoke".
As it was slowly falling apart, it was removed in 1959.
James Joyce references the monument in his novel Ulysses when Leopold Bloom passes the monument and thinks, "Sir Philip Crampton"s memorial fountain bust. Who was he?".
Membership
Royal Society]
He was also a member of the Royal Irish Academy.
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Born
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Died
June 10, 1858 (aged 81) -
Nationality
Irish