[3] Martin undertook his voyage to St Kilda in May 1697 and his tour of Lewis in 1699 under the patronage of Hans Sloane, the Secretary of the Royal Society in London.
The Scottish antiquary, Sir Robert Sibbald, considered that his command of Gaelic, knowledge of the customs of Gaeldom and connections with Hebridean elites made him well qualified for the task.
Martin is also known for his early descriptions of Scotch whisky:[5] Their plenty of Corn was such, as dispos'd the Natives to brew several sorts of Liquors, as common Usquebaugh, another call'd Trestarig, id est Aquavitae, three times distill'd, which is strong and hot; a third sort is four times distill'd, and this by the Natives is call'd Usquebaugh-baul, id est Usquebaugh, which at first taste affects all the Members of the Body: two spoonfuls of this last Liquor is a sufficient Dose; and if any Man exceed this, it would presently stop his Breath, and endanger his Life.
[6] Early in 1708, Martin moved to London where he became tutor to the third son of the Earl of Bradford and accompanied him on a tour of Italy.
In 1710, he entered Leiden University, and there graduated as MD, afterwards practicing medicine in London until his death.