"That mighty creature, called the elephant, exceedeth all other beasts in the World; both in its vast proportion of Body, & wonderfull disposition of Mind" (Anon, 1683)
October is Elephant Awareness Month, a time where all of us must do our part to tell as many people as possible about the plight of these amazing and beautiful species. To coincide with this month, the following selections are some examples of the plight of elephants in the 17th and 18th centuries which are available to view in two of our databases: Early English Books Online (EEBO) and Eighteenth Century Collections Online.
'An anatomical account of the elephant accidentally burnt in Dublin on Fryday, June 17 in the year 1681...'By Allan Mullin details the sad but true story of an unlucky pachyderm owned by a Mr Wilkins who kept the creature in a specially constructed stable near the Custom House on Essex Street where members of the public could view the elephant, for a hefty admission price.
The elephant was quickly dissected after it unfortunately burnt to death in a fire in Dublin in 1681, by Mullen, who was a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and a member of The Royal Society, with a keen interest in anatomy. Subsequently, he published his findings, including several illustrations in 1682. The famous elephant has attracted great interest for all the wrong reasons.
The story goes that at approximately 3.00am in the morning of Friday the 17th of June 1681, the wooden stable caught fire and was quickly enveloped by flames. The elephant, trapped inside, was overcome by the fire and smoke. News of the elephant’s death soon drew a large crowd of onlookers, many of whom had not been able to see the living animal due to the high admission price. As the flames died down many of the onlookers rushed forward and attempted to carry parts of the dead animal away as souvenirs.(irisharchaelogy.ie, 2012).
Mr. Wilkins intended to put the elephant's skeleton on display and quickly sent for a troop of armed musketeers who were ordered to guard the dead animal. Work began on a shed to cover the elephant’s body and this was completed by 7 o’clock that Friday evening. The reasons for the rush to cover the animal and have it dissected were deliberate as the crowds, who were in a panic to view the animal, were rushing forward and attempted to carry parts of the dead animal away as souvenirs. (ibid.)
While Mr. Wilkins wanted to wait until an experienced team had assembled, the pressure was on to keep the 'rabble' at bay and Wilkins feared that the Lord Mayor would order the removal of the animal as the newly built shed was located very close to the Custom House and City Council Chambers. Thus the dissection had to commence immediately. By candlelight Dublin’s very first elephant dissection began and the remains were put on public display.
Some other notable items of interest include: 'Of the spleen: its description and history, uses and diseases, particularly the vapors, with their remedy. Being a Lecture read at the Royal College of Physicians, London, 1722. To which is Added Some Anatomical Observations in the Dissection of an Elephant'. This was written by William Stukeley and printed in London; 41 years after the events in Dublin.
An interesting anonymous anecdote entitled: 'The Elephant's speech to the citizens and countrymen of England: at his first being shewn at Bartholomew-Fair in 1675', purports to be the words of an Indian elephant exhibited in London in 1675. This unusual 8-page document is worth the read and is available online at Maynooth University Library.
Finally, 'Osteographia elephantina: or, a full and exact description of all the bones of an elephant, which died near Dundee, April the 27th. 1706' is another example of the fascination people had with the science of anatomy of these exotic creatures in the 17th and 18th centuries. Many of the elephants depicted in these accounts were imported from India and were put on display both in life and in death.
To read more, you can access our online collections including Early English Books Online (EEBO) and Eighteenth Century Collections Online via the library homepage - A-Z of Databases.