THE WORLD'S DEBT TO THE IRISH 
physician should have a solid foundation of learning 
before he took up his medical studies. This medical 
school was founded by a physician of great eminence 
whose skill is celebrated in the early Irish annals. 
In spite of traditions which declare that physicians 
are likely to be pretty far away from sanctity, he is 
known in history as St. Bracan. He was the son of 
Fin Loga and a disciple of St. Finian at Clonard. In 
our time it has been said that “where there are 
three physicians there are two atheists.” That may 
be true for the rank and file of the profession but 
it is not true for the great representative scientific 
physicians. Some of our greatest medical scientists 
have been deeply religious men. In the old times in 
Ireland this seems to have been true and so there is 
the tradition of the saintly Irish physician who 
founded the school of Tuaim Brecain near the pres- 
ent town of Belturbet in the County Cavan. The 
excellent medical work done at this school secured 
for it a fame that has endured down the ages ever 
since. The tradition with regard to it seems thor- 
oughly authentic and well founded. 
Some of the old medical traditions of the Irish 
people are very interesting. Many of them have 
come down from generations among the people of 
the countryside from time immemorial and yet they 
are very suggestive and sometimes significant for 
modern medicine. Some of them manifestly repre- 
sent the results of practical experience that is endur- 
ingly valuable. Along the seashore for instance 
the Irish had the habit of eating dulse or dilse or 
)4.7