A naval surgeon, or less commonly ship's doctor, is the person responsible for the health of the ship's company aboard a warship. The term appears often in reference to Royal Navy's medical personnel during the Age of Sail.
Specialised crew members capable of providing medical care have been a feature of military vessels for at least two thousand years. The second-century Roman Navy under Emperor Hadrian included a surgeon aboard each of its triremes, with the position earning twice a regular officer's pay.[1]
Royal Navy
During the Age of Sail, the Royal Navy carried trained medical officers aboard its warships, who usually learned their trade before coming on board ship. They were generally called surgeons. The Navy Board qualified surgeons through an examination at the Barber-Surgeons' Company and they were responsible to the Sick and Wounded Board under the Navy Board.[2] Surgeons were required to keep two logbooks detailing treatments and procedures carried out under their care; at the conclusion of any voyage these were to be delivered one to the Barber-Surgeons' Company and one to Greenwich Hospital.[3]
Warranted Naval Medical officers, similar to doctors on shore, were not required to have a medical degree and were generally trained by apprenticeship.[2] By 1814, the Royal Navy had 14 physicians, 850 surgeons, 500 assistants surgeons caring for 130,000 men on shore and at sea.[4] They were very well paid, starting at £14 per month in 1815 for surgeons with less than 6 years of experience, up to £25 4s for 20 years of experience.[5] They were also allowed £43 for equipment, £5 for every 100 cases of venereal disease they treated, and a personal servant.[6] Factoring in prize money, a ship's surgeon could make well over £200 a year.[6]
Rank
Surgeons were ranked by the Navy Board based on their training and social status.[7] Surgeons were wardroom warrant officers with a high status, billeted along with the other officers in the wardroom.[6] Until the Navy's medical services were reorganized in 1806, surgeons were warranted by individual ship captains, not commissioned by the Admiralty. After 1808, surgeons, like masters, were considered equivalent to commissioned officers and were 'Warrant officers of Wardroom Rank'.[8]
Surgeons were assisted by surgeon's mates, who after 1805 were called assistant surgeons.[8] The surgeon and his mates were assisted by boys, who were called loblolly boys, named after the gruel commonly served in the sick bay.[9] A small number of doctors with a prestigious medical education were ranked as physicians; they would supervise surgeons on ships or run hospitals on shore.[4]
Duties
The surgeon's duties included responsibility for his mates and loblolly boys, visiting patients at least twice a day, and keeping accurate records on each patient admitted to his care. The surgeon would take morning sick call at the mainmast, assisted by his mates, as well as tending to injured sailors during the day. During sea battles, the surgeon worked in the cockpit, a space permanently partitioned off near a hatchway down which the wounded could be carried for treatment. The deck was strewn with sand prior to battle to prevent the surgeon from slipping in the blood that accumulated.[6]
In addition to caring for the sick and wounded, surgeons were responsible for regulating sanitary conditions on the ship. They fumigated the sick bay and sometimes whole decks by burning brimstone (sulfur), and maintained the ventilating machines that supplied fresh air to the lower decks to keep them dry.[6]
William Balmain (1762–1803) was a Scottish-born naval surgeon and civil administrator who sailed as an assistant surgeon with the First Fleet to establish the European settlement in Australia, and later became principal surgeon for New South Wales.
^. Archived from the original on 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Ruschenberger", p. 229).
King, Dean (2001). A Sea of Words: Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O'Brian's Seafaring Tales. Henry Holt. ISBN0-8050-6615-2. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
Lavery, Brian (1989). Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men and Organization. Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-258-3. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
Lewis, Michael (1960). A Social History of the Navy. London: Ruskin House.
Walker, D. M. (1932). "Warrant for Surgeon (1717) and Surgeon's Mate (about 1705)". The Mariner's Mirror. Portsmouth, United Kingdom: Society for Nautical Research. 18 (3). doi:10.1080/00253359.1932.10655661.
External links
Kaji Sritharan, Maritime medicine, April 15, 2006, BMJ Careers advice
, a P&O website
Ship's doctor's work far from fiction, Peggy Peck, August 3, 2005
August 14, 2023
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The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject You may improve this article discuss the issue on the talk page or create a new article as appropriate August 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message A naval surgeon or less commonly ship s doctor is the person responsible for the health of the ship s company aboard a warship The term appears often in reference to Royal Navy s medical personnel during the Age of Sail Contents 1 Ancient uses 2 Royal Navy 2 1 Rank 2 2 Duties 3 Notable naval surgeons 3 1 Historical 3 2 Fictional 4 Footnotes 5 References 6 External linksAncient uses EditSpecialised crew members capable of providing medical care have been a feature of military vessels for at least two thousand years The second century Roman Navy under Emperor Hadrian included a surgeon aboard each of its triremes with the position earning twice a regular officer s pay 1 Royal Navy EditDuring the Age of Sail the Royal Navy carried trained medical officers aboard its warships who usually learned their trade before coming on board ship They were generally called surgeons The Navy Board qualified surgeons through an examination at the Barber Surgeons Company and they were responsible to the Sick and Wounded Board under the Navy Board 2 Surgeons were required to keep two logbooks detailing treatments and procedures carried out under their care at the conclusion of any voyage these were to be delivered one to the Barber Surgeons Company and one to Greenwich Hospital 3 Warranted Naval Medical officers similar to doctors on shore were not required to have a medical degree and were generally trained by apprenticeship 2 By 1814 the Royal Navy had 14 physicians 850 surgeons 500 assistants surgeons caring for 130 000 men on shore and at sea 4 They were very well paid starting at 14 per month in 1815 for surgeons with less than 6 years of experience up to 25 4s for 20 years of experience 5 They were also allowed 43 for equipment 5 for every 100 cases of venereal disease they treated and a personal servant 6 Factoring in prize money a ship s surgeon could make well over 200 a year 6 Rank Edit Surgeons were ranked by the Navy Board based on their training and social status 7 Surgeons were wardroom warrant officers with a high status billeted along with the other officers in the wardroom 6 Until the Navy s medical services were reorganized in 1806 surgeons were warranted by individual ship captains not commissioned by the Admiralty After 1808 surgeons like masters were considered equivalent to commissioned officers and were Warrant officers of Wardroom Rank 8 Surgeons were assisted by surgeon s mates who after 1805 were called assistant surgeons 8 The surgeon and his mates were assisted by boys who were called loblolly boys named after the gruel commonly served in the sick bay 9 A small number of doctors with a prestigious medical education were ranked as physicians they would supervise surgeons on ships or run hospitals on shore 4 Duties Edit The surgeon s duties included responsibility for his mates and loblolly boys visiting patients at least twice a day and keeping accurate records on each patient admitted to his care The surgeon would take morning sick call at the mainmast assisted by his mates as well as tending to injured sailors during the day During sea battles the surgeon worked in the cockpit a space permanently partitioned off near a hatchway down which the wounded could be carried for treatment The deck was strewn with sand prior to battle to prevent the surgeon from slipping in the blood that accumulated 6 In addition to caring for the sick and wounded surgeons were responsible for regulating sanitary conditions on the ship They fumigated the sick bay and sometimes whole decks by burning brimstone sulfur and maintained the ventilating machines that supplied fresh air to the lower decks to keep them dry 6 Notable naval surgeons EditHistorical Edit George Bass 1771 after 1803 sailed to New South Wales as ship s doctor on HMS Reliance He was a naturalist and explorer Bass Strait is named in his honour 10 William Balmain 1762 1803 was a Scottish born naval surgeon and civil administrator who sailed as an assistant surgeon with the First Fleet to establish the European settlement in Australia and later became principal surgeon for New South Wales William Beatty 1773 1842 was surgeon on HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar 1805 He tended the mortally wounded Admiral Nelson and wrote an account of the battle William Ruschenberger 1807 1895 naturalist and surgeon aboard USS Peacock as well as the namesake of the boa Corallus ruschenbergerii 11 Richard Brinsley Hinds 1811 1846 was surgeon on the 1835 1842 voyage of HMS Sulphur to explore the Pacific Ocean and edited the natural history reports of the expedition Thomas Henry Huxley 1825 1895 anatomist known as Darwin s Bulldog was assistant ship s surgeon early in his career on HMS Rattlesnake William Carr 1883 1966 Australian naval surgeon and admiral who in the course of his career served on HMAS Melbourne HMAS Australia and HMAS Sydney Timothy Blair McLean 1910 1982 Canadian Surgeon General served as a medical officer and surgeon aboard HMCS Uganda during the Second World WarFictional Edit Stephen Maturin one of the main characters of Patrick O Brian s Aubrey Maturin series Lemuel Gulliver main character of Johnathan Swift s Gulliver s Travels 12 Yoshikage Kira side character of Hirohiko Araki s JoJolionFootnotes Edit The Surgeon in Battle at Sea The Lancet Elsevier 206 5335 1130 28 November 1925 doi 10 1016 S0140 6736 01 16696 1 a b Lavery 1989 p 101 Walker 1932 p 320 a b King 2001 pp 31 Lewis 1960 p 304 a b c d e King 2001 pp 33 King 2001 p 32 a b King 2001 p 16 King 2001 pp 279 Explorers of Australia George Bass and Matthew Flinders Archived from the original on 2009 04 30 Retrieved 2009 05 22 Beolens Bo Watkins Michael Grayson Michael 2011 The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press xiii 296 pp ISBN 978 1 4214 0135 5 Ruschenberger p 229 Gulliver s Travels Wikipedia 2019 02 06 retrieved 2019 03 12References EditKing Dean 2001 A Sea of Words Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O Brian s Seafaring Tales Henry Holt ISBN 0 8050 6615 2 Retrieved 2009 05 19 Lavery Brian 1989 Nelson s Navy The Ships Men and Organization Annapolis Md Naval Institute Press ISBN 0 87021 258 3 Retrieved 2009 05 19 Lewis Michael 1960 A Social History of the Navy London Ruskin House Walker D M 1932 Warrant for Surgeon 1717 and Surgeon s Mate about 1705 The Mariner s Mirror Portsmouth United Kingdom Society for Nautical Research 18 3 doi 10 1080 00253359 1932 10655661 External links EditKaji Sritharan Maritime medicine April 15 2006 BMJ Careers advice Ship s Doctor a P amp O website Ship s doctor s work far from fiction Peggy Peck August 3 2005 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Naval surgeon amp oldid 1157606511, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
