Dermod O'Meara facts for kids
Dermod O'Meara (Irish: Diarmaid Ó Meadhra) was an Irish doctor and poet who lived from about 1610 to 1646. He wrote the very first medical book ever printed in Dublin in 1619. He was also the father of another notable person, Edmund O'Meara.
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His Life and Work
Dermod O'Meara was the son of Domhnaill O'Meara. His family had a special role: they were the official doctors and poets for a powerful family called the Earls of Ormond. This tradition meant they passed down their knowledge and skills through generations.
His First Book: Ormonius
O'Meara's first published work was a book called Ormonius, which came out in 1614. This was also the first book of Latin poems ever printed in Ireland! Ormonius was a long, epic poem that praised the life of Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond. In this poem, O'Meara described himself as a "vates," which means a prophet or an inspired poet. He even claimed that the Irish goddess Áine helped raise Thomas Butler when he was a baby.
Studying Medicine
Later, Dermod O'Meara went to Reims University to study medicine and became a doctor. After finishing his studies, he came back to Ireland. He then wrote an important medical book called De Moribus: Pathologia Hereditaria Generalis.
Ideas on Inheritance
In De Moribus, O'Meara wrote about how certain traits and even some health conditions can be passed down from parents to their children. He suggested that people get two sets of information that determine these traits – one set from their mother and one from their father. He also believed that some traits might be "stronger" and could hide "weaker" traits. This was a very early idea about how genetics work, long before modern science understood it fully!
Later Life and Challenges
In his later years, Dermod O'Meara and his family had disagreements with the Ormond family. This happened during a time of big changes in Ireland, known as the Confederation of Kilkenny. During this period, O'Meara's family wanted Ireland to be completely separate from England. Dermod O'Meara was said to have visited the court of King Charles I. He was later accused in Ireland of serious disloyalty to the king, but it seems he was never captured.
