In the course of a long political career, Dr Noel Browne held public office for less than three years, as Minister for Health from 1948 to 1951. In that brief time he left an indelible mark on Irish life. His introduction of the controversial Mother and Child Scheme, which was effectively vetoed by the Catholic hierachy at the urging of Archbishop John Charles McQuaid and Bishop Michael Browne, and was then abandoned by the cabinet, was a defining moment in Irish church/state relations.; His post-ministerial career saw him drift politically, into - and out of - four different parties. He maintained a stormy on/off relationship with the Labour Party but became an iconic figure on the Irish left - a difficult colleague, but adored by his public.; This biography explores the tantalizing gaps in Browne's own autobiography, Against the Tide, but offers a rounded picture of a complex, tortured and exceptionally gifted individual. Other books by John Horgan Sean Lemass.