Allan Mullen

Last updated

Allan Mullen, FRS, M.D. (also Mullin, Moulin, Molines) (died 1690) was an eminent Irish anatomist.

Contents

Life

He was born in the north of Ireland, and was educated at Trinity College Dublin, where he graduated B.A. and M.B. in 1676, and M.D. in 1684. In the latter year he was apparently elected fellow of the College of Physicians in Ireland. [1]

He attempted original research in anatomy, and became a prominent member of the Dublin Philosophical Society, to which he contributed valuable papers on human and comparative anatomy. The most important was that in which he described the vascularity of the lens of the eye, to the discovery of which he appears to have been led by the dissection of an elephant. On 18 July 1683 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. [2]

A discreditable love affair obliged him to remove to London in 1686, and thence he went with William O'Brien, 2nd Earl of Inchiquin, in 1690 to the West Indies, hoping to improve his fortunes by the discovery of some mines there. He died soon after landing at Barbados from the effects of intoxication. [1]

Works

Mullen published 'An Anatomical Account of the Elephant accidentally burnt in Dublin on 17 June 1681; together with a Relation of new Anatomical Observations on the Eyes of Animals. By A. M.,' &c., 2 pts. 4to, London, 1682. [1]

His examination was made with such accuracy that his descriptions have been quoted by writers down to the present time. The 'Philosophical Transactions' for 1685 contain an account of his dissection of a 'monstrous double cat' (xv. 1135). In the volume for 1687, he gave a close estimate of the quantity of blood contained in the body (xvi. 433). His experiments 'On the Injection of Mercury into the Blood' (xvii. 486), 'On a Black shining Sand brought from Virginia' (xvii. 624), and 'Anatomical Observations on the Heads of Fowls' (xvii. 711) are also recorded. His discovery of several structures in the tunics of the eye is acknowledged by Albrecht von Haller. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galen</span> Greek physician, surgeon, and philosopher (129-c.216)

Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus, often Anglicized as Galen or Galen of Pergamon, was a Roman Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher. Considered to be one of the most accomplished of all medical researchers of antiquity, Galen influenced the development of various scientific disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and neurology, as well as philosophy and logic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcello Malpighi</span> Italian biologist and physician

Marcello Malpighi was an Italian biologist and physician, who is referred to as the "Founder of microscopical anatomy, histology & Father of physiology and embryology". Malpighi's name is borne by several physiological features related to the biological excretory system, such as the Malpighian corpuscles and Malpighian pyramids of the kidneys and the Malpighian tubule system of insects. The splenic lymphoid nodules are often called the "Malpighian bodies of the spleen" or Malpighian corpuscles. The botanical family Malpighiaceae is also named after him. He was the first person to see capillaries in animals, and he discovered the link between arteries and veins that had eluded William Harvey. Malpighi was one of the earliest people to observe red blood cells under a microscope, after Jan Swammerdam. His treatise De polypo cordis (1666) was important for understanding blood composition, as well as how blood clots. In it, Malpighi described how the form of a blood clot differed in the right against the left sides of the heart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of anatomy</span> Aspect of history

The history of anatomy extends from the earliest examinations of sacrificial victims to the sophisticated analyses of the body performed by modern anatomists and scientists. Written descriptions of human organs and parts can be traced back thousands of years to ancient Egyptian papyri, where attention to the body was necessitated by their highly elaborate burial practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herophilos</span> Greek physician (335–280 BC)

Herophilos, sometimes Latinised Herophilus, was a Greek physician regarded as one of the earliest anatomists. Born in Chalcedon, he spent the majority of his life in Alexandria. He was the first scientist to systematically perform scientific dissections of human cadavers. He recorded his findings in over nine works, which are now all lost. The early Christian author Tertullian states that Herophilos vivisected at least 600 live prisoners; however, this account has been disputed by many historians. He is often seen as the father of anatomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mondino de Luzzi</span> Italian physician and anatomist (c.1270–1326)

Mondino de Luzzi, or de Liuzzi or de Lucci,, also known as Mundinus, was an Italian physician, anatomist and professor of surgery, who lived and worked in Bologna. He is often credited as the restorer of anatomy because he made seminal contributions to the field by reintroducing the practice of public dissection of human cadavers and writing the first modern anatomical text.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Bell</span> Scottish surgeon, anatomist, artist and theologian

Sir Charles Bell was a Scottish surgeon, anatomist, physiologist, neurologist, artist, and philosophical theologian. He is noted for discovering the difference between sensory nerves and motor nerves in the spinal cord. He is also noted for describing Bell's palsy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alcmaeon of Croton</span> 5th-century BC Greek physician and philosopher

Alcmaeon of Croton was an early Greek medical writer and philosopher-scientist. He has been described as one of the most eminent natural philosophers and medical theorists of antiquity and he has also been referred to as "a thinker of considerable originality and one of the greatest philosophers, naturalists, and neuroscientists of all time." His work in biology has been described as remarkable, and his originality made him likely a pioneer. Because of difficulties dating Alcmaeon's birth, his importance has been neglected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Monro Primus</span>

Alexander Monro was a Scottish surgeon and anatomist. His father, the surgeon John Monro, had been a prime mover in the foundation of the Edinburgh Medical School and had arranged Alexander's education in the hope that his son might become the first Professor of Anatomy in the new university medical school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Parsons (physician)</span> English physician, antiquary and author

James Parsons FRS was an English physician, antiquary and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Govert Bidloo</span>

Govert Bidloo or Govard Bidloo was a Dutch Golden Age physician, anatomist, poet and playwright. He was the personal physician of William III of Orange-Nassau, Dutch stadholder and King of England, Scotland and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Monro Secundus</span>

Alexander Monro of Craiglockhart and Cockburn was a Scottish anatomist, physician and medical educator. He is typically known as Alexander Monro Secundus or Junior to distinguish him as the second of three generations of physicians of the same name. His students included the naval physician and abolitionist Thomas Trotter. Munro was from the distinguished Monro of Auchenbowie family. His major achievements included, describing the lymphatic system, providing the most detailed elucidation of the musculo-skeletal system to date and introducing clinical medicine into the curriculum. He is known for the Monro–Kellie doctrine on intracranial pressure, a hypothesis developed by Monro and his former pupil George Kellie, who worked as a surgeon in the port of Leith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evelyn tables</span> 17th century anatomical preparations

The Evelyn tables are a set of four anatomical preparations on wooden boards that are thought to be the oldest anatomical preparations in Europe. They were acquired by John Evelyn in Padua in 1646 and later donated by Evelyn to the Royal Society. They are currently owned by the Royal College of Surgeons, and displayed there at the Hunterian Museum in London. Six similar tables are held by Royal College of Physicians, brought to London from Italy by John Finch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadaver</span> Dead body used for study or instruction

A cadaver or corpse is a dead human body. Cadavers are used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. Students in medical school study and dissect cadavers as a part of their education. Others who study cadavers include archaeologists and arts students. In addition, a cadaver may be used in developing and the evaluation of surgical instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Jacob</span>

Arthur Jacob (1790–1874) was an Irish ophthalmologist. He is known for founding several hospitals, a medical school, and a medical journal. He contributed to science and academia through his 41-year term as Professor of Anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and as the first Irish ocular pathologist. He was elected President of RCSI in 1837 and 1864.

James Keill was a Scottish physician, philosopher, medical writer and translator. He was an early proponent of mathematical methods in physiology.

Timothy Clarke was an English physician, a founding Fellow of the Royal Society.

Patrick Blair FRS (ca.1670–1728) was a Scottish surgeon, anatomist and botanist, and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Macartney (anatomist)</span>

James Macartney was an anatomist. He began life as an Irish volunteer in 1780, and was afterwards educated at the endowed classical school at Armagh, and then at a private school. He was associated for a time with the Sheares brothers and Lord Edward Fitzgerald, the United Irishmen but, being dissatisfied with their programme, he cut himself adrift and began to study medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbert Mayo</span>

Herbert Mayo, M.D., was a British physiologist, anatomist and medical writer.

Samuel Clossy MB MD was a pioneering Irish anatomist and the first college professor of a medical subject in North America.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Goodwin 1894.
  2. "Fellow details". Royal Society. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
Attribution

Wikisource-logo.svg This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Goodwin, Gordon (1894). "Molines, Allan". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 38. London: Smith, Elder & Co.