Example of information available for Masters relating to medical matters

Harry Leach MRCP and revised by William Spooner LRCP Lond., MRCS: The Ship Captain’s Medical Guide (London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. Ltd., 1906)

pp.118-119

Under ‘FITS’

‘EPILEPSY, the Falling Sickness. - Patient utters a peculiar cry and falls down in convulsions. His whole body works and twists with such violence that it requires two or three strong men to restrain him. He foams at the mouth, his hands are clenched, his breathing is suspended, face is distorted and livid; he bites his tongue, and for the moment appears at the point of death. In a short time the convulsions cease, and he awakes heavy and stupid, with no recollection of what has taken place. The only thing to do during the attack is to raise the head, loosen the neckerchief, throw cold water on the face, and prevent him from injuring himself. Put a piece of soft wood or a handkerchief between his teeth to prevent his tongue from being bitten. The best medicine to give to prevent a return of the attack is the Bromide of Ammonium; this may be given in doses of 15 grains dissolved in water, three times a day, and must be continued for some weeks to do any good. No one liable to Epilepsy should go to sea’.

Go to Life and Conditions at Sea

Go to the main Mercantile Page