Why?

WHY  DID  DR.  DILLON  CHOOSE  TO STUDY  MEDICINE?

and

WHY  DID  DR.  DILLON  JOIN  THE  ROYAL  NAVY?

In the middle of the 1800s, in 1859, William Dillon, or Bill as he was known by his friends, was 13 years old.  Tall for his age, he was athletic and active.

He had two older sisters, both smart, but life was difficult for them.  It was not good for a young lady to have any ideas in her head, let alone express them.  It was expected that these girls would spend most of their time on their personal toilette, organizing the care of their clothes and generally being quiet and demure.

Chamber Pots.

These were used in all bedrooms, especially at night, when going outside to the toilet would be too much.  It was one of the duties of a maid to empty these pots each morning.

These were still in use in Ireland in the 1950s.  As a child growing up in Ireland, I could see them under the beds.  Many had elaborate decorative paintings around the inside and outside edges, which helped balance the aroma surrounding them

 These wash stands were present in every bedroom.  The jug, or pitcher, held water for washing.  This cold water was poured into the basin for washing.  The dirty water was left in the basin for the maid to remove later.

Maids ran down the back staircase with dirty water in basins and pots, and ran up the staircase with cleaned and refreshed pots and basins.  Never were they seen on the main, carpeted staircase, where the family of the house and guests walked up or down.  Of course, maids also cleaned the house, which included removing fireplace cinders daily, and setting a fire in every room.


 Even if they didn't feel like it, they had to act like it!  Every day, the two Dillon girls had to arrive in the drawing room washed and dressed to perfection, with their long hair done up beautifully.  There they would sit, waiting quietly and calmly, available for any visitor who might come to call.
In the afternoons, a tutor would arrive at the house, and the girls became good readers and wrote in a flowery script.  In the evenings they painted on canvases or embroidered linen.  It was a quiet life.

The eldest girl found it a struggle to keep herself steady.  Her father took her out for walks, when they discussed philosophy or human nature.  There were no libraries, and the books at home had been read many times.  It was natural Anna Maria turned to religion for help.  She must have read the Bible through, cover to cover, many times.  She knew many passages by heart.  When she was older Anna would walk to the Church's Book Depository where she could borrow books of sermons or books on theology.  Her grand daughter Daphne wrote that her grandmother suffered from religious melancholy.

And what of the two younger Dillon children, our Bill and his brother John?

John: he was a quiet, lovable boy who later became a Clergyman in the Anglican Church of Ireland.  He became Rector of the parish of Rathmichael, south of Dublin:

Rathmichael Church













Bill:  He found the quiet life led by his sisters to be suffocating.  High in energy he could hardly focus on his studies, but we know he read Latin and Greek - his sister Anna was delighted with "Dear William" when he offered to teach her Greek.  But - the lessons didn't last long, and were not again mentioned.
 Bill's father was very aware of his son's personality, and Bill spent summers on the west coast of Ireland, swimming and sailing and exploring the countryside, wild and free.  When Bill was a teenager, the family moved to a house south of Dublin, near the coast, in Dunlaoghaire (pronounced dun-leary).  Here Bill  and his brother John owned a sailboat, and they were often out on the water.

Dunlaoghaire, south of Dublin

No doubt, Bill would have seen tall ships similar to this one, moored at Dunlaoghaire.

This sight would have been inspiring to the young lads, Bill and his friends, interested in getting away.

Remember - Ireland was under British Rule back then, and "The Navy" and all her vessels, would have been Britain's Royal Navy.

Meanwhile, Bill's mother had two brothers who had travelled far and wide on board bit sailing vessels.  They would arrive home and have dinner with Bill's family.  

Oh!  The tales they told!

But Bill  was advised not to start from the bottom on board a ship.  Instead, why not study to be a doctor and travel that way, as an officer, a surgeon, on-board?   It was the Officers who had all the fun.  

That's what Bill did.

He studied Medicine at the

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

in Dublin:

He also took courses at 

Trinity College, Dublin University

just down the road from the RCSI

And so it was.

Bill became a Surgeon in the Royal Navy.

Next time:  How, Where, When - all about purchasing and availability of the book titled  

Dr. William Edward Dillon, Navy Surgeon in Livingstone's Africa.

AND WONDERFUL NEWS!

Welcome to a reader from TANZANIA!

AND THANK YOU ALL FOR READING ALONG.  GREETINGS TO YOU ALL.