3 0 8 I R I S H J O U R N A L O F M E D I C A L S C I E N C E

in t he medica l facul t ies in I r e l and as is done e lsewhere , a n d we in t he Cen t ra l S t a t i s t i c s Office t r y to he lp ou t so t h a t t h e bes t use m a y be m a d e of t he resources ava i l ab le in t h e coun t ry . W h a t s t a t i s t i c i ans h a v e to s a y in re la t ion to t he r e su l t s p r e s e n t e d to t h e m is o f ten ve ry nega t ive , a n d it does n o t m a k e t h e m v e r y popu l a r w i th t he people who ac tua l ly ca r ry ou t t h e i nves t iga t ion .

I N M E M O R I A M

F R A N C I S S T E P H E N K E V I N B O U R K E .

(Born 14th Ju l y , 1895, d ied 13th J u n e , 1959.)

I t is a lways difficult to real ise a t first t he full e x t e n t o f t h e loss s u s t a i n e d b y t h e d e a t h of a n old a n d v a l u e d fr iend. Th i s is a d i f f icul ty w h i c h will be expe r i enced by ve ry m a n y w i t h t h e pa s s i ng of Dr . F . S. Bourke .

A L icen t i a t e of t h e R o y a l College of P h y s i c i a n s a n d Surgeons in I r e l a n d (1923) he d e v o t e d h i mse l f f r om a n ea r ly d a t e to t h e scientif ic side of medica l pract ice , becomi ng P a t ho l og i s t to Dr. S t eevens ' a n d t h e R o t u n d a Hosp i t a l s , a n d l a te r Di rec to r of t he Special T r e a t m e n t Cen t re in t h e f i r s t -named .

A p a r t f rom his profess iona l ac t iv i t i e s he was a m a n of m a n y in te res t s . As a n I r i sh b ib l iographer he occupies a h i g h place a n d his long assoc ia t ion wi th his f r iend a n d col league, t h e la te Dr . T. P . C. K i r k p a t r i c k , was of g r ea t va lue to bo th .

His c o n t r i b u t i o n s to b ib l iographica l a n d b iographica l l i t e r a tu re e a rned for h i m M e m b e r s h i p o f t h e R o y a l I r i sh A c a d e m y .

Dr. Bou rke was a Council m e m b e r of t he R oya l A c a d e m y of Medicine in I r e l and a n d a t mee t ings , especia l ly t hose o f t he Medical H i s t o r y Sect ion, his e x t e n s i v e knowledge was a l ways ava i lab le a n d g rea t ly apprec ia t ed .

T h e R o y a l College of P h y s i c i a n s of I r e l and is deep in h is deb t . N o t on ly was he, over t he years , an o p e n - h a n d e d donor , b u t his services were f reely g iven in all m a t t e r s re la t ing to t he K i r k p a t r i c k B e q u e s t to t h e College L ib ra ry . Un t i l h is Ias t i l lness began he h a d d e v o t e d m u c h of his t i m e to p r epa r ing t h a t collection for s y s t e m a t i c ca ta logu ing . I k n o w it was a source of m u c h sa t i s fac t ion to h i m when , in 1955, t he College e lected h i m an H o n o r a r y Fellow.

H e will be r e m e m b e r e d for m a n y t h i n g s a n d a m o n g t h e m his r e m a r k a b l e knowledge of t h e b y - w a y s of l i t e r a tu re a n d h is tory- - -espec ia ! ly I r i sh h i s to ry ; his gene ros i t y in s h a r i n g th i s knowledge w i t h eve ry genu ine enqu i r e r a n d h is ab id ing love for his own coun t rys ide , p a r t i c u l a r l y Co. Wicklow.

No apprec ia t ion of our old f r iend wou l d be comple t e w i t h o u t reference to his courage in his las t illness. I n ve ry t r u t h t he r e was here

" no weakness , no c o n t e m p t , Dispra i se or b l a m e ; n o t h i n g b u t well a n d fa i r ."

C H A R L E S D I C K S O N .