By Pierce Grace
Published in Studia Hibernica, January 2025.
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Abstract

Old Irish law tracts provide valuable insights into the practice of medicine in Ireland during the early medieval period. While the focus of the law texts relating to medicine was predominantly medico-legal, with an emphasis on computing compensation for injury, an understanding of contemporary medical practice can also be inferred from such texts. Male and female practitioners used herbs and surgery to treat their patients and supervised nursing care with a particular emphasis on diet. Physicians also provided an all-important public prognosis for the patient. The nature of the injury, the probable outcome and the status of the victim determined the level of compensation to be paid by the guilty party. Practitioners were also sometimes called upon to adjudicate in intimate and marital affairs. Synthesising information gleaned from the Old Irish law tracts, this article provides a unique insight into medicine in early medieval Ireland in terms of the status of physicians, known medical knowledge and contemporary practice.