Misson

Aw, they're missing the point. There's no such thing as bad PR, there's only people who aren't imaginative enough to use it to their advantage. Ok, so 90% or whatever of the people exposed to piracy will go through their innocent little lives thinking Johnny Depp is representative of pirates. If not for him, they would think of Errol Flynn, Geena Davis, Larry the Cucumber or (shudder) Burt Lancaster. Depp raises the awareness level so that more folks can search out authentic data. That's where Joe and his crew (and us lot) can come in. Actually they seem to be coming in at that. Still, it's not wise to shoot the messenger who brings the interested crowds to listen at your knee to the tales of old. A little goofiness makes it fun. (Learning can be a grinding, painful experience that one hopes to escape at the first chance or it can be enjoyable and entertaining well to which one returns frequently.)

Who is the 'our' in 'our source?' Don't we already have a confirmed, reliable and discreet Disney source around here? (Not to take anything away from your report, Silent, but Iron Bess is about as cool a source as you can get - on several levels.) I wonder how ol' Keith would do in an extended take? Give him some serious exposition and I'd be curious to see how he'd fare. I thought he was enjoyable enough in the third movie, but he seemed a trifle shaky on his pins somehow... Still, however good or bad a new movie would be anything that promotes the 'pirate' marquee is probably worth a try. (However, Sci-Fi = probably bad IMHO. Skeleton pirates are cool and have pirate lore back of them (mostly through flags and maroons); mystical fish people are kinda' cheesy unless they're merfolk. Yeah, yeah, the tests proved that the test kids liked 'em. Eh. Balance, does the movie Force need.)

And yet another one! So there are descriptions out there and I'll just shut up on that point and report them as I find them. This is from Dampier. Note that Dampier never mentions tattooed sailors specifically - I don't think - but he does describe his tattooed prince (which he bought) and hints at something else that might interest you: "He [Prince Jeoly - the 'painted prince'] told me also, that his Father was Raja of the Island where they lived: That there were not above Thirty Men on the Island, and about one Hundred Women: That he himself had Five Wives and eight Children, and that one of his Wives painted him. He was painted all down the Breast, between his Shoulders behind; on his Thighs (mostly) before; and in the Form of several broad Rings, or Bracelets round his Arms and Legs. I cannot liken the Drawing to any Figure of Animals, or the like; but they were very curious, full of great variety of Lines, Flourishes, Chequered-Work, &c. keeping a very graceful Proportion, and appearing very artificial, even to Wonder, especially that upon and between his Shoulder-blades. By the Account he gave me of the manner of doing it, I understand that the Painting was done in the same manner, as the Jerusalem Cross is made in Men's Arms [OK, that sounds like a reference to a tattoo on a non-native to me although not specifically for a sailor - it apparently has a long history which you can learn more about on the web], by pricking the Skin and rubbing in a Pigment. But whereas Powder is used in making the Jerusalem Cross, they at Meangis use the Gum of a Tree beaten to Powder, called by the English, Dammer, which is used instead of Pitch in many parts of India." (Dampier, p. 344) Dammer gum seems to able to be made in black and white, so it could potentially be made into different colors. Further research is left as an exercise to the reader. "In a little printed Relation that was made of him when he was shown for a Sight in England, there was a romantick Story of a beautiful Sister of his a Slave with them at Mindanao [Which I believe is where they took him on board]; and of the Sultan's falling in Love with her; but these were Stories indeed. They reported also that the Paint was of such Virtue, that Serpents, and venimous Creatures would flee from him, for which reason, I suppose, they represented so many Serpants scampering about in the printed Picture that was made of him [probably on the ground; serpents in his tattooes would disagree with the above quote from Dampier.] But I never knew any Paint of such Virtue; and as for Jeoly, I have seen him as much afraid of Snakes, Scorpions, or Centapees, as my self." (Dampier, p. 346)

Preying on the physician... So long as you bring me fake people to fix and not real ones. The real ones on whom I operate...well, just cross yourself and look down despondently at the ground in their memory. (What's the old line...I'm not a doctor, I just play one at events?)

She's a crazy bronzer....that's about the extent of it. The stuff she makes is just very simple...and she can make just about anything you show her a photo of too. !! How about this: It's a little bigger than an ear scoop...about 20 inches bigger.

This is sorta funny. “[August 20, 1709] At 10 in the Morning we bore down I to the Dutchess, who had Spanish Colours flying, to make a sham Fight to exercise our Men and the Negroes in the Use of our great Guns and small Arms. Here I must not forget a Welchman that came to me, and told me, He took the Ship we were going to engage for the Dutchess, till he saw the Spanish Colours, and that being over-joyed with Hope of a good Prize, he had loaded his Musket with shot, and design'd to fire amongst the thickest of 'em, which he would certainly have done, had he not been forbid. By this it appears, that blundering Fools may have Courage. During this sham Engagement, every one acted the same Part he ought to have done, if in earnest, firing with Ball excepted. Our Prisoners were secured in the Hold by the Surgeons, who had their Instruments in order, and to imitate Business for them, I order’d red Lead mixt with Water to be thrown upon two of our Fellows, and sent ‘em down to the Surgeons, who, as well as the Prisoners in the Hold of the Ship, were very much surpriz’d, thinking they had been really wounded, and the Surgeons actually went about to dress them., but finding their Mistake, it was a very agreeable Diversion.” (Woodes Rogers, A Cruising Voyage Round the World, p. 135) (You guys. Always funning with the surgeons...even 300 years ago.)

That'd be splendid! A Dutch original! Then I can natter on about my Patrick Hand original hat and my Dutch original earscoop.

Dutch... You know, I poked around one of the history website stores and found myself getting frustrated so I stopped. Thanks for the link, Kate ($62!!) So tell me about your friend Jen... function over form.

That's a good point. However, I have never seen any data on how many copies of a medical book are sold. I have occasionally seen the printer's advertisement and contact info and, in one book, their catalog. One point of clarification about book editions as I was discussing them is that this isn't the number of times the book was reprinted (although I half wonder if some of these printers even kept track of this sort of info then), it is usually when the original manuscript has been reprinted with things added to it. That is certainly the case for Woodall. I also notice that the editions are usually years, even decades apart which would seem to me to indicate that the book had some lasting effect on and use for the target audience. Sea surgeons would not be a mammoth segment of the population and the books don't read like something for popular fodder. Still, Like a textbook, if no one's buying it, wouldn't it just disappear? Why would any printer want to reprint a book that didn't sell years later? Keep in mind that most sea surgeons only went on one or two voyages as the pay was relatively small (particularly in the Navy; it was usually somewhat better among the merchants), the duty appears to have alternated between onerous and tedious and, unless you liked moving around a lot, the duty was rather unstable. Unlike sailors, surgeons had the option to practice their trade on land; land surgery was much more lucrative and relatively more stable. (Yonge talks about this in his Journal.) Plus sea surgeons were likely to have brought whatever books they had on board and taken them with them when they left, which suggests book turnover. I got most of my info and ideas (not to mention references that I could chase down for period research) about surgical manuals from John Keevil's excellent Medicine and the Navy 1200-1900: Volume II – 1640-1714. Keevil was a British naval surgeon who turned to history when he retired. The majority of his references in that book as I recall are the BRN records. His book proceeds linearly through time and gives you an idea of how the books during the time leading up to the GAoP came about. Note that the following three quotes are also arranged by time period: “During the first Dutch War (1652-1654] these improvements in surgical methods can only have reached the younger surgeons through lectures, observation and discussions, such as are known to have taken place after a sea fight. When the war began in 1652, only old textbooks were, with one exception, available, and so great was the demand for them that Peter Lowe’sA Discourse of the Whole Art of Chyrurgery reached its fourth edition in 1654; it had the merit, for naval surgeons, of dealing not only with surgery but with fevers and the diseases of each organ of the body. Woodall’s The Surgeons Mate remained popular, and was also reprinted in 1655, when his Military and Domesitque Surgery once more appeared as a separate book. The exception was James Cooke’s Mellificium Chirurgiae. Or the Marrow of Many Good Authors, published in 1648, which, although it was chiefly a repetition of past teaching, did incorporate some of the author’s experiences with army wounded in the Civil War. In 1655, however, Cooke brought out a book which was to be in great demand for the next fifty years, his Supplementum Chirurgiae…wherein is contained Fevers, Simple and Compound, Pestilential and not, Rickets, Small Pox and Measels, as also the Military Chest. The range of this book is sufficiently indicated by its title. The restrictions on practice, either as a physician, a surgeon or an apothecary, were confined almost exclusively to London, and Cooke, living at Warwick, openly describes himself as a ‘Practitioner in Physick and Chirurgery’; some provincial guilds had both physicians and surgeons as members and the popularity of the Supplementum is itself evidence of the extent of general practice in the country as a whole. The Supplementum was of particular value to sea-surgeons, whose responsibilities extended them from surgery in action to the care of seamen suffering from dysentery, typhus or the more common ailments met with in daily life ashore. Cooke illustrated hi teaching with his own case histories, which now included those of many more wounded soldiers; these intimate accounts were reassuring to surgeons, isolated in ships and confronted with similar examples of compound, comminuted fractures of the limbs, depressed fractures of the skull, concussion, and wound of the thorax or abdomen. Here they found confirmation of the teaching of Clowes and Woodall on amputation, for Cooke added nothing to the traditional technique of a circular incision after the application of a tourniquet.” (Keevil, p. 31-2) “The sea-surgeon’s library would, at this time, only have contained Cooke’s Mellificium of 1648, old editions of Woodall and, perhaps, the now ancient but still practical surgical textbook of William Clowes. Some sea-surgeons may have had no works of reference, for when Wiseman later wrote his Treatise of Wounds he did so especially for the benefit of sea-surgeons, and declared that his ‘design was to help Sea-Chirurgeons, who seldom trouble their cabins with many books’; it would, however, have been fair to add that there were few books suited to the conditions under which sea surgeons had to treat the wounded, and only one dealing with first aid. This was a small work by a physician, Stephen Bradwell, published in 1633, Helps for Suddain Accidents Endangering Life[/i]. Designed for those who lived far from medical help, it dealt principally with simple domestic crises, such as poisoning from food, insect stings, contusions and sprains.” (John Keevil, p. 43-4) “Such differences as existed were in the books which were in common use by all teaching bodies. Richard Wiseman’s Several Chirurgicall Treatises of 1676 passed into a second edition in 1686, and ten years later he published his Eight Chirurgical Treatises; but Wiseman’s military experience belonged to the almost forgotten days of the Commonwealth, and the two recent wars had increased their old-fashioned quality. Like the works of William Clowes and the English translation of Pare, they in their turn were being discarded in favour of books drawing on more recent events [Emphasis mine.]. For sea-surgeons in the making the works of two new writers were proving of outstanding value. The first of these was James Yonge… His reputation as a surgeon at Plymouth dated from the recovery of one of his first patients, a seaman who fell from the topmast of a ship in harbour and fractured his skull from the crown to the ear. Such accident cases held a special interest for Yonge, and later he was to devote a whole book to describing the treatment and recovery of a case of depressed fracture of the skull with laceration of the brain. In this he showed no advance on Thomas Gale’s method [Gale, Certain Works of Chirurgie, 1586], but the bibliography may have been of value to his contemporaries , and the fifty-two references show the care with which he studied the case… Yonge made such as examination in the case of a man who had had a bullet wound in his trachea for three years, and sent his report to Robert Hooke, secretary of the Royal Society. He was particularly interested in gunshot wounds, the problems of haemorrhage, comminuted fractures caused by chainshot, then recently introduced, and in other injuries peculiar to life at sea. In 1679 Yonge published his most important work, Currus Triumphalis, e Terebintho. Or an Account of the many admirable Vertues of Oleum Terebinthinae…, a book with a misleading title. Far more valuable than the uses of turpentine as a styptic was the description Yonge included of the flap method of amputating. It was an account of this, given by Yonge at an informal meeting in London in 1678, which led James Pearse to urge on him the need for publication.” (Keevil, p. 154-5)

Ok, this is just an interesting sounding word to me: Turbot n. pl. turbot or tur·bots 1. A European flatfish, Scophthalmus maximus, that has a brown knobby upper side and is prized as food. 2. Any of various flatfishes similar or related to this fish. It was even the featured character in a Canadian war. (I'll bet you didn't know the Canadians got involved in their own wars. Me neither - and this was only a decade or so ago): From Wiki: The Turbot War of 1995 was an international fishing dispute between Canada and the European Union which ended in Canada boarding a Spanish fishing trawler in international waters and arresting its crew. Canada claimed that European Union factory ships were illegally overfishing the nose and tail of the Grand Banks, just outside Canada's declared 200 nautical mile (370 km) Exclusive Economic Zone. A turbot is a fish... It sure sounds like some specialized type of robot to me. I think BoB from The Black Hole looks like my idea of a turbot:

For your consideration: "They had another Dish made of a short of Locusts, whose Bodies were about an Inch and a half long, and as thick as the top of one's little finger; with large thin Wings, and long and small Legs. At this time of the Year these Creatures came in great Swarms to devour their Potato-leaves, and other Herbs; and the Natives would go out with small Nets, and take a Quart at one sweep. When they had enough, they would carry them home, and parch them over the Fire in an earthen Pan; and then their Wings and Legs would fall off, and their Heads and Backs would turn red like boil'd Shrimps, being before brownish. Their Bodies being full, would eat very moist, their Heads would crackle in one's Teeth. I did once eat of this Dish, and liked it well enough; but their other Dish my Stomach would not take." (Dampier, p. 291) Yum-my! He even gives you the recipe. We should definitely do this one at Hampton next year. Tell Cookie.

From later trips to the East Indies, Edward Barlow has more to say on this fine "fruit": “[1685] The country here [Goa] about produceth calicoes and pepper and other goods which they have brought from China and Persia, as rice, cocoanuts, plantains and bananas, very good oranges and limes. The ‘tudey’ [toddy] tree, or old cocoanut tree, which produceth the palm wine of which they drink, makes rack, sugar, or vinegar, and is the most profitable tree that grows here. They have plenty of good fish and potatoes and several fruits that I cannot well name.” (Barlow, p. 372-3) “[1687] At last, having got [their anchor, which had broke loose], away we sailed down to Calicut and came to anchor in five fathom of water, finding several Moors’ ships in the Road belonging to Surat, which were lading pepper, beetle-nut, cocoanuts and coir, which is a thread of yarn made of the husk of cocoanuts, of which they make all their rigging and ropes for their ships.” (Barlow, p. 381) “[1697] The air is clear [in ‘Anienga’] and indifferent healthful, but provisions are pretty dear…The fruits are here as they are over most parts of India, the cocoanut tree producing half their food, what with the cocoanut meat, and the liquor, that they make rack and sugar with called ‘todey’ [toddy]." (Barlow, p. 467-8)

In his book Life at Sea in the Age of Sail, W.R. Thrower has a lot to say on this interesting and rather curious problem. (The reader is warned that Thrower's book is not well sourced and he tends to range all over the place as far as dates go, so caveat emptor): “...there was the ever-present risk of fire, yet it was impossible to cook without adequate facilities. If a wooden ship caught fire badly, she was almost always destroyed. In those days it was quite a problem, even ashore, to construct fireplaces in wooden houses without danger… At sea, there was not only the problems of building satisfactory fire-proof cooking places in wooden ships but the constant hazards from pitching or rolling. In bad weather the galley fires were always extinguished and might not be relighted for a week or more, which increased the misery on board during a gale since no hot food could be served. When the Centurion under Commodore Anson rounded Cape Horn in 1740 there was no hot food for three weeks.” (Thrower, Sea, p. 37) “Before proper cook-rooms or galleys were constructed, one place where it was deemed safe to have a cooking fire was on top of the ballast. In fact the early cook-rooms were placed over the ballast, though this practice does not seem to have lasted very long, for the surrounding filth made it hardly a good place for preparing food [Note: The ballast often served as the restroom, in rough weather especially. On French ships, Thrower says that dead bodies were also put there.] Obviously somewhere higher in the ship was desirable once a means for adequate fireproofing had been devised. When you think of all the research that was done to discover safe ways of constructing cooking places and fire hearths in wooden houses ashore, how much more difficult must have the problem been at sea. Basically, the principle finally adopted was to arrange a good layer of lime with an air space to insulate brickwork from adjacent timber. Constructional details of cook-rooms are not available before the middle of the 18th century, but which time the design was established and bricks were used to build a safe room Before brick rooms were built such room were compartments made of timber with brick fireplaces, which was the practice in the early 17th century… In all ships boiling was the routine method of cooking, and a suitable number of specially shaped coppers with lids were provided and deeply set in the brickwork. Over the coppers there was usually a funnel passing through the deckhead to allow steam to escape. No proper ovens could be permitted because of the dangers of over-heating, although various attempts were made as early as the 15th century to provide means of baking.” (Thrower, Sea, p. 37-8) “It is quite clear that for a couple of centuries or longer the only real baking that a ship’s company would enjoy was done in portable ovens set up ashore when the opportunity arose. Portable ovens were a normal piece of equipment because wet biscuit had to be rebaked periodically. Rather strangely, no regular attempt was made to check by heat treatment the ordinary ravages of weevils and other parasite so common in biscuit.” (Thrower, Sea, p. 38-9) “Even in smaller ships an oven was sometimes devised, certainly there was one in Captain James Cook’s Endeavor, a ship about which we know so much, but that evidence is that this oven was only used when the ship was anchored.” (Thower, Sea, p. 38) “Both the bread-room and the powder magazine received special attention owing to the ever-present problem of how best to keep out the damp and, in the case of the bread-room, vermin as well.” (Thrower, Sea, p. 39)

Since I have been looking for period references to accidents, the weather has become an increasingly interesting topic. Barlow has a pretty vivid account of a huge storm that occurred in 1702 in England. (If it were today, it would have been caused by ubiquitous Global Warming and Climate Change factors... sorry, couldn't resist the dig...) Anyhow, I'll let him tell it: “[1702] And the 26th day at night began a violent storm, which all England hath great cause to remember. And as for our ship, we escaped very narrowly, losing one of our anchors and drove with our sheet anchor and small bower ahead, and our best bower cable broke, and near to the ‘Shew’ and Blacktail Sands in a dismal condition we cut all our masts by the board, all things appearing as dismal as death; having drove three or four miles, and had we drove less than half a mile further, we had certainly been all lost and not one man saved. And in the morning, seeing swimming by us masts, yards, and sails, and wrecks of ships. And we lay two days in that condition, nobody coming near us. And then had we lost two boats and the lives of twenty-four men in them, some of the best men we had in the ship. And making what shift we could in getting small masts up, we turned up to the Buoy of the Nore, having then moderate weather; there, hearing of very great loss and damage amongst the ships in the Down, losing four third-rate frigates, the Mary, Rear-Admiral of the Blue, and all her men lost except one or two, and the ships Northumberland, Restoration, and Starling Castle, some of them losing most of their men; and a great many merchant ships: and at the Buoy of the Nore a bomb-ketch and several small ships and men lost: the Weymouth frigate driving out of Sheerness, cut all her masts by the board: and two or three at Portsmouth: the Resolution and Newcastle and the Vigo frigate upon the coast of Holland; and in that storm the Queen lost ten men-of-war, some ships being overset in the Hope and river of Thames: and great damage was done upon the land by the high winds. England receiving much damage in most places. [Editor Basil Lubbock's Footnote 1: In this terrible storm 15 men of war, 300 merchantmen and upwards of 6000 seamen were lost. The Eddystone lighthouse together with its ingenious architect Mr Winstanley was totally destroyed. 400 windmills were either blown down or took fire, through the violence with which they were driven round by the wind. 19,000 trees were blown down in Kent and 4000 in New Forest. In London, 800 houses collapsed in ruins and 2000 chimney stacks fell. And the loss of life through the Southern Counties was as great as if it had been a West Indian hurricane.] (Barlow, p. 552-3)

Very cool. Thanks! (I should have thought of Greg, too. I think I'll shoot him an email just to see if he has one in stock. We must support the Official Period Correct PiP Vendor, after all.)

Yeah, an ear cleaning tool, not a hearing device. It seems like something a doctor might want to have handy. They sometimes came in picket hygiene kits that included other such items. Unfortunately I don't plan to go to Jamestown or Williamsburg any time soon.

Here ya' go, found this while looking for a map of the trade winds: "By the early 18th century, a complex network of colonial trade was established over the North Atlantic Ocean. This network was partially the result of local conditions and of dominant wind patterns. It was discovered in the 15th century, notably after the voyages of Columbus, that there is a circular wind pattern over the North Atlantic. The eastward wind pattern, which blows on the southern part, came to be known as the "trade winds" since they enabled to cross the Atlantic. The westward wind pattern, blowing on the northern part, came to be known as the "westerlies". Since sailing ships were highly constrained by dominant wind patterns, a trade system followed this pattern. Manufactured commodities were exported from Europe, some towards the African colonial centers, some towards the American colonies. This system also included the slave trade, mainly to Central and South American colonies (Brazil, West Indies). Tropical commodities (sugar, molasses) flowed to the American colonies and to Europe. North America also exported tobacco, furs, indigo (a dye) and lumber (for shipbuilding) to Europe. This system of trade collapsed in the 19th century with the introduction of steamships, the end of slavery and the independence of many of the colonies of the Americas." [Emphasis mine] This is from http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch1...tradewinds.html. They have a nice map of the system there as well.

The triangle trade seems to have been one of the most popular going by the colonies during period, but wasn't direct. I've read that they sometimes stopped in the Colonies (in Edward Barlow's Journal) on the way back, but not much about trade there. My impression (and it may be wrong) is that the colonies were not exactly the richest place to send trade to. They seem to have been more interested in producing goods in the Colonies for export, so it might make good sense that a ship making the triangle route would stop there if they had room. (The third point of the triangle was the West Indies, so ships would usually be laden with sugar and similar products of the Caribbean by the time they got to the southern Colonies.) If you're a merchant in the GAoP, the most popular trading routes seem to have been China, the East Indies and Africa/West Indies at this time. I have also read of a route from England to Nova Scotia (in James Yonge's Journal) to obtain fish for England. He made that trip at least twice, commenting quite a bit on how slow it was if I remember it rightly. They left in the spring/summer and returned in the fall. That gets you closer than the Triangle trade so it might be a starting point for information on the winds and sailing patterns. (The trade winds don't appear to have been to a sailing ship's advantage when traveling direct to the Colonies from England.)

Does anyone know of a site selling close to period ear scoops or other personal hygiene items? I thought Godwin might carry such, but they are sadly lacking in what I am looking for. (Ear Scoops seem to fetch an absurdly high price on eBay.) While I'm asking, does anyone know of a good period barbering site or book? I haven't done a deep search for such, I am just hoping someone can save me some time digging.

Heh. I've sure learned a lot since then! Frequently, ship's surgeons set up tents at landfall to treat the wounded when no other buildings were available. They did indeed have portable kits, particularly for bleeding, which was carried out whereever they could. There are several examples of pocket kits from period. (If the me now could only have been around for the me then.)

How about a free repro? The best way I've found to get a copy of the Surgeon's Mate is through the on-line database Early English Books Online. Most larger universities have access to it. Bring a memory stick and you can download your own .pdf copy. Many universities have free guest researcher computers available, although you should probably call ahead to make sure. (I suggest you say you're a researcher, otherwise you might wind up at a time-limited, grubby public terminal with limited access rights.) However, I have my doubts that the Surgeon's Mate is the end-all be-all period sea surgical reference. it was just the first sea medicine reference in print - even then it was only given to East India Merchantmen surgeons; it wasn't for sale from what I've read. Woodall's book came out in 1617, was reprinted in 1639 or so with the third and last re-printing in 1655. The fact that it wasn't reprinted after that suggests to me it would have been more difficult to get after the 1680s or so. Certainly it would have been on some ships and would have been traded back and forth, but it's by the frequency of reprints that the more scholarly articles seem to judge the time period a surgical book is used. (Joan Druett makes much of Woodall in her book. I wonder what resources she has that suggest that it would have been used as late as the 19th century as she hints.) Another sea medical reference to consider that is closer to period which is available through the same database: John Moyle's Chirurgus marinus, 1693 While it's not as comprehensive as Woodall, it was available closer to period and has much plainer language for sea surgeons, who were often newly minted and may have appreciated the simpler language. It went through several reprints as well. In addition, there are many other period surgical books that could very easily have been used that were printed closer to the GAoP. Some other good period surgical references not specifically for the sea, yet still interesting and likely to have been brought on ship are available through the same database: James Cooke (former sea surgeon), Mellificium chirurgiæ Or, The marrow of chirurgery, 1648 - note - this was reprinted at least six times I've found (and probably more) all the way through 1760, thus must have been very popular. James Cooke, Supplementum chirurgiæ or The supplement to the marrow of chyrurgerie, 1655 John Shirley, A short compendium of chirurgery, 1673 Thomas Willis, Five treatises: 1. Of urines, 2. Of the accension of the blood, 3. Of musculary motion, 4. The anatomy of the brain, 5. The description and use of the nerves, 1681 Thomas Willis, Dr. Willis's practice of physick: being all the medical works of that renowned and famous physician, 1681 Richard Wiseman (former sea surgeon), A treatise of wounds, 1676 (I believe much of this is contained in his following work) Richard Wiseman, Eight chirurgical treatises, 1696 James Yonge (former sea surgeon), Currus triumphalis, è terebinthô, 1679 James Yonge, Wounds of the brain proved curable, 1686 Here are some other good references if you want to learn about the surgeon and his tools that are also available on that database. Some of them are from well before period like Woodall: Thomas Bonham, The chyrugians closet: or, an antidotarie chyrurgicall, 1630 Stephen Bradwell, Helps for suddain accidents endangering life, 1639 William Clowes (former sea surgeon), A profitable and necessarie booke of obseruations, for all those that are burned with the flame of gun powder, &c., 1588 - this is considered a classic because of the description of the flap method of amputation, but it wasn't reprinted after 1596, so buyer beware Nicholas Culpeper, Two treatises, the first of blood-letting and the diseases to be cured thereby, the second of cupping and scarifying, and the diseases to be cured thereby, 1683 Randle Holme, The academy of armory, 1688 (This book was reprinted in 1972 as well and your library can probably get it for you.) Ambroise Pare, Mikrokosmographia: A description of the body of man. Together vvith the controuersies thereto belonging, 1545, translated to English in 1615 Jacques Guillemeau, The Frenche chirurgerye, or all the manualle operations of chirurgerye, 1597 (Based on Pare's work) Johannes Scultetus, The Chyrurgeons store-house, 1655 And that's about half of the surgical books I've found so far! In addition to general surgical books from period, there are a great many more on specific topics like VD, eye surgery and so forth. Churgeon, chyrugon, chirurgeon, chirirgon, surgeon, sturgeon...it'll give you a headache after awhile. Two words for period spelling: phonetic and random.

One thing I'll say about Godwin...they're like elephants. I ordered some lancets from them several months ago and they all of a sudden arrived today. At least they didn't bill them until this month. It makes me wonder about that fleem I ordered right after PiP...

Good luck with that. May I suggest that you set specific goals (with dates of accomplishment) to turn your fantasy into a plan. When you write (long hand) such things down fantasy starts to becomes reality and you begin to see (and are able to fix) the holes in your plan. You'll also be surprised how much that will help you stay your course and achieve your ends.

Now here's something we hope you'll really like. "It was only want of being busied in some Action that made them [the men who stayed on Captain Swan's ship while they were at Mindanao] so uneasie; therefore they consented to what [Captain] Teal proposed [mutiny, basically, leaving everyone on shore behind while those on the ship sailed away under Captain Teal], and immediately all that were aboard bound themselves by Oath to turn Captain Swan out, and to conceal this Design from those that were ashore, until the Ship was under Sail; which would have been presently, if the surgeon and his Mate had been aboard; but they were both ashore, and they thought it no Prudence to go to Sea, without a Surgeon: Therefore the next Morning they sent ashore one John Cooksworthy, to hasten off either the Surgeon or his Mate, by pretending that one of the Men in the Night broke his leg by falling in the Hold. The Surgeon told him that he intended to come aboard the next Day with the Captain [swan], and would not come before, but sent his Mate, Herman Coppinger... But to proceed, Herman Coppinger provided to go aboard; and the next Day, being the time appointed for Captain Swan and all his men to meet aboard, I went aboard with him, neither of us distrusted what was designing by those aboard, till we came thither. then we found it was only a Trick to get the Surgeon off [the land and onto the ship]..." (Dampier, p. 253-4) Can't you just feel the smugness rays?

Now it's a verb! And on and on. I'm going to hear no end of this, am I? You know, sunburn hardly rates mentioning in the accounts I have read so far. It comes up in a left-handed sort of way here and there, but it is generally not talked about as a matter for the surgeon. Just thought that was interesting. I suppose once you were toughened up by the sun, you forgot about it.