This paper discusses where Portuguese physicians studied medicine. The careers of
two thirteenth-century physicians, Petrus Hispanus and Giles of Santarém, indicate that
the Portuguese travelled abroad to study in Montpellier or Paris. But it is also possible
that there were opportunities for study in Portugal itself. Particularly significant in this
respect is the tradition of medical teaching associated with the Augustinian house of
Santa Cruz in Coimbra and the reference to medical texts found in Coimbra archives.
From these sources it can be shown that there was a suitable environment for medical
study in medieval Portugal, encouraging able students to further their medical interests
elsewhere