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Allen Mullen, Anatomical Account of the Elephant Accidentally Burnt in Dublin, on Fryday, June 17, in the Year 1681 (London, 1682)
In June 1681 an elephant went on display near Parliament St in Dublin city centre. Disaster struck on the night of 17 June when the animal’s booth caught fire and the poor creature burnt to death.
A number of people made off with pieces of the animal as a souvenir. That evening Dr Allen Mullen from Trinity College Dublin arrived to perform a dissection of what remained. He worked through the night with a team of butchers who took the animal apart, as he recorded his findings by candlelight.
Mullen’s published report was the first modern description of the anatomy of an elephant and remained the standard until the 20th century.
Citation:
Allen Mullen, Anatomical Account of the Elephant Accidentally Burnt in Dublin, on Fryday, June 17, in the Year 1681 (London, 1682),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
accessed May 9, 2024,
https://www.marshlibrary.ie/digi/items/show/751