[2] Irvine matriculated at the University of Edinburgh but was expelled for initially refusing to sign the National Covenant in 1638.
After serving under Cromwell, Monck would later play a leading role in the restoration of Charles II and like him, Irvine reverted to supporting the monarch.
While the 1505 Seal of Cause (or Charter) had set out educational standards for the surgeon's apprentices at the beginning of the 16th century, these appear to have slipped by the start of the 17th.
Irvine in 1661 was instrumental in reinforcing educational discipline, so that apprentices who failed to satisfy the examining committee were not allowed to proceed.
[8] Irvine was concerned that the establishment of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1681 would adversely affect his practice.
He translated Anatomia Sambuci [11] by the German physician Martin Blochwich (1602-1629) which described the botany of the elder tree and its berries, together with medicinal recipes for elderberry preparations.
[12] His medical textbook Medicina magnetica or, The Rare and Wonderful Art of Curing by Sympathy was published in 1656 and dedicated to General Monck in whose army he had served.