History of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and of the Irish schools of medicine : including numerous biographical sketches, also a medical bibliography / by Charles A. Cameron.

  • Charles Alexander Cameron
Date:
1886
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: History of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and of the Irish schools of medicine : including numerous biographical sketches, also a medical bibliography / by Charles A. Cameron. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

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    HISTORY OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS IN IRELAND. CHAPTER I. ON THE PROGRESS OF MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE AND LITERATURE IN IRELAND UP TO THE TEAR 1700. It is admitted that a comparatively high state of civilisation prevailed in Ireland during the earlier ages of the Christian era; we may, therefore, infer that the ancient Irish were not ignorant of such knowledge of medicine as then existed in Europe. It is likely that some of the persons who studied at the seats of learning devoted their attention to the healing art. The Annals of Tiernach are, with the exception of the Psalter of Cashel, the oldest Celtic MSS.—probably the most ancient in any language in Northern Europe. It is stated in them that in the year 366 a princess died in consequence of having swallowed a poisoned draught, from which we infer that even in that early age some knowledge of the preparation of drugs prevailed. Legendary lore assigns to the ancient Irish an extraordinary degree of surgical skill. It is stated in an ancient MS. that Josina, the son of a Scotch king who reigned about a century and a half before the birth of Christ, was sent by his father to Ireland to be educated amongst the physicians and surgeons of that country. In a MS. entitled Cath Muighe Fuiredh, preserved in the library of Trinity College, an account is given of a battle, the wounded in which were placed in medicated baths by a celebrated surgeon named Diancecht. This personage, who flourished about two B
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