Event Type: Branch

Takes Place: 11th December 2024

Time: 7pm

Venue: Online via Zoom

Description: This talk explores the experiences and emotions of early modern British sea surgeons aboard naval and mercantile ships. Diseases, including scurvy, typhus, and dysentery, along with accidents, foul living conditions, limited supplies, and violent warfare were only some of the challenges faced by a ship’s surgeon. A sea surgeon was usually the only trained medical practitioner on a ship: they treated bodies by manual operation, but also acted as physician (treating internal ailments) and apothecary, preparing and dispensing medicines. We are talking of crews in their hundreds, on hazardous voyages lasting months, even years, against the backdrop of the rapid expansion of maritime infrastructure and networks in the seventeenth century. This paper presents new research on this fascinating professional group, particularly printed and manuscript writings authored by sea surgeons. These surgeons’ accounts allow us to glimpse contemporary medical practices and customs aboard, such as how to treat wounds, ulcers, fractures, and dislocations. A close reading of these texts can also reveal something of the lived experiences of crew and surgeon on early modern ships, and even give insights into their cultural, social, and emotional lives.

How to book: Book via link to Zoom

Price: Free

Email: Edbury@cardiff.ac.uk

Organiser: Cardiff Branch HA

Lecturer: Dr Jasmine Kilburn-Toppin Cardiff University

Region: Wales

Branch: Cardiff