Mission

Here are the rest of my photos for the Santa Maria: http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkCKSuccess/ColumbusSept2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCOeBjZauzbyySA#

Here are some of the photos I took. I will be posting more later this week: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pirate-Surgeons-Journal/115863025128226?v=photos#!/album.php?aid=22443&id=115863025128226

I've added one of the tools (well, several versions of that tool and some other, related tools) required for the trepanation procedure as explained in Jacques Guillimeau's The French Chirurgerie, printed in London in 1683. There were two different kinds of tools used during period and this is one of them. (Perhaps I'll explain more about this on a future page.) http://www.markck.com/pages/Piracy/Surgeon_Pgs/Inst_Trepan_Guillimeau.htm

Here's the first page in what will eventually be a series of 17/18th c. procedural pages on surgery about Trepanation - or drilling extra whole in the head - from the Father of Sea Medicine, John Woodall. (I'll bet you know people who would benefit from this procedure.)

Happy Birthday, Silkie. (Is it Fionntan's birthday too?)

Oooooh. Pretty... It might actually be rightly named (although I don't know). Veternary fleams are very hard to discern from human fleams. Many of the fleams you can find on eBay are actually veterinary fleams because they were used on animals long after bleeding ceased to be a normal medical procedure for humans. Too bad they want so much for it. Based on others I've seen, it should start for less than $100. (It might get to $350, being so ornate and having so many blades, but when you start that high on eBay many people are a afraid to bid.)

If it was really to be a surprise, I wouldn't have mentioned it.

I think this is Felix Leiter syndrome at work. When they made Dr. No they decided Jack Lord as Felix was too strong a characterization - he sometimes appeared equal to Bond in some scenes. Well, they couldn't have that. So Lord, who was originally signed to reprise the role, was cut out and they switched to using less appealing actors for the role in some of the other Connery films (Goldfinger & Diamonds Are Forever, for example.) I would loved for them to have used Rik Van Nutter as Felix (he was in Thunderball) because he actually looked like the character Fleming described in the books, but they again thought he upstaged Connery (which is actually impossible - he's too strong an actor) and trimmed many of his more potent scenes out of the movie. Fleming saw Leiter as the CIA equal to Bond and a pal where the moviemakers saw him as a distraction and a device to further the plot. It's too bad, really I just thought it was funny that the "official" message board has a whole forum devoted to Jack impersonators. I guess it makes sense in the broad scheme of things. What keeps Jack in the public eye is probably a good thing so long as he doesn't do anything that creates really negative press.

Google Image Search: your friend. So as not to spoil anyone's future movie-viewing experience who doesn't want it be so... http://www.reelmovienews.com/2010/09/first-glimpse-of-ian-mcshane-as-blackbeard-in-pirates-of-the-car/

You guys should get such stuff together, bring it to events and explain ship's carpentry. I've never seen that done yet.

The official message board has a whole forum just for Jack impersonators?! Glory be...

Wow! What a fascinating and thorough write up! You really have researched socks. (You could stick your resources in there and it would almost be worth publishing.)

You guys will never guess who is coming up for this event...

Anyone want to join me in presenting? (It's fun - plus it gives you something specific to do during the day.)

I uploaded a boatload of photos from PiPs past onto the Pyracy.com FaceBook page, but I can only tag the people who are friends with my user ID (NOT people who are fans of the page, JUST my friends. And, no, it doesn't make any sense to me, either.) I also just figured out how to let fans tag photos, so unleash all your knowledge and friend lists on the thing: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?filter=lf#!/album.php?aid=28279&id=152706724740270&ref=mf And if you want to upload photos to the pyracy.com FaceBook page, you should be able to do that as well. Note: All of the photos are from the Surgeon's Journals (PiP SJ '07, '08, '09), which I had permission to put in the Journals, but not on FB. If you took one of the photos and don't want it on the FB page for some reason, send me a message and let me know which one and I'll be happy to take it down.

Thanks! The raptor was a very intense project - I put in long hours to get it done in time for the Haunted House in which it first appeared. Someone was actually interested in buying the velociraptor recently after Googling velociraptor and finding her on my webpage. Unfortunately, she's been sitting outside in my flower garden for years and needs some repairs - he wanted her fresh and new. So now she's in my garage awaiting my attention. All the neighbors were concerned because the velociraptor was gone.(If nothing else this guy got me to repair the raptor. Working with fiberglass is such a pain in the arse. OTOH, I'm thinking of painting her in more muted greys, browns and yellows - then she'll be a he according to the JP legend and lore.) Have you seen Jack the Monkey? He's another favorite project of mine. He's presently sitting in a bamboo cage atop my entertainment center in my pirate-themed living room. (Although I don't have any pics of that. Maybe I'll take some and update that page.)

Interesting in a good way or interesting in a "Well...that was certainly...interesting..." way? (Actually, it doesn't matter. I live out loud. Whatever that means.)

The 2010 Edition of the Paynetown Surgeon's Journal is now on line: Paynetown 2010 Surgeon's Journal Just in time for Back to School. (Well, here in Michigan it is.)

There are actually a lot of pirate, pirate-oriented, pirate-re-enactor-group and pirate-re-enactor-commerce websites out there. There may even be one of those pirate website webrings things for all I know. (Anyone? Bueller?) So, like all of life, you're actually competing in a crowded field. The question is, what do you bring to the pirate gig that's fresh? This is the value of a niche topic. Your niche should grow out of your personal interests in Piracy - it's a huge topic. Otherwise you're going to be shackled to a site on a topic that bores you and you'll end up giving the whole thing up as a lost cause. Ed Foxe, a poster on this here forum has created an informative and well-respected site on Pirate Myths. You can check it out here: http://www.bonaventure.org.uk/ed/piratemythtory.htm My angle is pirate surgeons: http://www.piratesurgeon.com You can also check out the links on my page to see other pirate-oriented and re-enactor pages as well. (I don't currently link to any of the mainstream sites like BlindKat or Kipar because...well, they're not included in my Surgeon's Journals. They're so all-encompassing that they're sort of dull IMO. There are several good books on those topics that I'd rather read than a regurgitation of what's in said books.) Be sure to do some research by looking at other pirate-re-enactor and pirate-oriented websites. They're scattered all over in the Pub Forums. But, for a start, check out the links' threads that are stickied at the top of some of the forums here at Pyracy.com. They're not all pirate specific, but they are all related. Here are quick links to two of them: In Twill: Amazing Reference Sites In Thieves Market: Vendors Index Threads Another good one is the No Quarter Given Index.

I found this excerpt sort of interesting, if only because it appears that this surgeon must have kept or created crutches on board his ship. “Example of a Fractured Thigh I. In the Hard Winter, 1709, a Young Man of twenty Years of Age fractured his Thigh, by a Surging of the Cable, about four Fingers Breadth above the Knee. I reduced it, and proceeded in the Method before laid down; only instead of Junks, I infixed the Dressings with a Sheet of Pasteboard, (that came from above the Fracture to below the Calf,) placed the Leg and Thigh even, and in a Position easy to him, kept the Great Toe in a Line with his Knee, and carefully filled up the Vacuities at the Ancle and Ham with Compresses: I also bled him; and in the Evening gave the following composing Draught. Rx. Aq. Theriac. Syr. de Mecon. a {ounce}s. Laud. Liq. g. xvj Aq. Hord. {ounce}ij. F. Haust. The next Morning I found him easy beyond Expectation, (the best Sign of a good Reduction;) and as it is an Argument of the Dressings being well apply’d, and the __ Fracture in a right Order, so, after such Assurance, there seems little more required or wanting to Success. This Case I submitted to the first Applications about three Weeks, only attending to keep the Limb in a due Order, and preserve a Conformity by a small daily Extension. In that Time he became able to walk about with Crutches, and soon after without. Which quick Cementation was to be attributed principally to the Patient’s Youth, and the Coldness of the Season.” (Atkins, Navy Surgeon, p. 59-60)

In their answer to "Have you uncovered any clues to why this surgery was performed?" they left out "To allow the demons to escape." (Seriously.) I guess it wasn't scientific enough.

Actually, Arabic surgeon Avicenna was treating cataracts in the 10th century. It was on his procedure and book that the period surgeries were based.

I was wondering what had become of you, HarborMaster! Good news about your longed-for retirement. And good luck on your venture!