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Gift of the Irish


St. Patrick's Day celebrates the patron saint of the Irish who brought Christianity to Ireland and taught about the Holy Trinity using a three-leafed clover (hence the significance of the clover). Over time, he also came to be associated with healing of several diseases like epilepsy. He is associated with some 50 holy wells in Ireland, whose waters are supposed to help with a variety of ailments from toothache to eye and skin ailments. While these superstitions have long passed, I think it's important to celebrate the contributions of the Irish to modern medicine on a day that celebrates Irish culture and traditions.

St. Patrick's Well in Belcoo, Ireland

Of all Irish doctors, the story I found most captivating is that of Dr. James Barry, nee Margaret Bulkley, who disguised herself as a man in order to practice medicine in 1790 in Cork, Ireland. She became the first female doctor in all of the U.K. and also the first one to perform a successful caesarian operation. Margaret Bulkley assumed a male name and identity (of her uncle) to enroll in medical school because women were barred from practicing medicine at the time. In order to explain her petite frame, she told everyone she was a 12-year-old boy.

Margaret Bulkley (right) disguised as James Barry (left) to practice medicine

Other notable Irish contributions to medicine include:

  • Invention of the hypothermic needle by Dr. Francis Rynd
  • Portable defibrillator by Dr. Frank Pantridge
  • Development of radiology by Dr. John Joly.

Last but not least, Margaret Sanger, a New Yorker of Irish origin, founded Planned Parenthood. Margaret Sanger was a nurse who became passionate about birth control and women’s health after seeing her mother's health suffer from 18 pregnancies. Sanger coined the word "birth control" and opened the first birth control clinic in the U.S.

In honor of these great Irish doctors and nurses, wish you all a happy and healthy St. Patrick's Day. If you feel inclined to (and are allowed to) join in the celebrations by consuming beer, check out my post on the medicinal benefits of beer that I wrote a while ago.

https://ancientmedicina.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-role-of-beer-in-ancient-medicine.html 

An interesting piece of tidbit for my Boston friends is that the first St. Patrick's Day parade took place in none other than Boston back in 1737. New York City followed a quarter of a century later in 1792.

 

Sources

https://www.medicaldaily.com/st-patricks-day-2017-5-irish-contributions-health-and-medicine-childbirth-413629
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/a-saintly-connection-to-the-world-of-medicine-1.724551

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