Aluminum?

[Misson]

Since I'm on a Dampier quote posting jaunt, I was wondering about his mention of aluminum. First, to quote something I found on the history of aluminum, which is, naturally, a website. ( http://www.historyofaluminum.com/ )

"The metal originally obtained its name from the Latin word for alum, alumen. The name alumina was proposed by L. B. G. de Moreveau, in 1761 for the base in alum, which was positively shown in 1787 to be the oxide of a yet to be discovered metal. Finally, in 1807, Sir Humphrey Davy proposed that this still unknown metal be referred to as aluminum."

So that dates it's name from about 1761. However, to quote Dampier's New Voyage Around the World, first published in 1697,

"By the Sea, on the South-side of that high Hill [on Isles Roca's], there's fresh Water comes out of the Rocks, but so slowly, that it yield not above 49 Gallons in 24 Hours, and it tastes so copperish, or aluminous rather, and rough in the Mouth, that it seems very unpleasant at first drinking: But after two or three Days any Water will seem to have no taste."

So it would seem my reference is older than the history of aluminum's. I wasn't aware that they used aluminum at this time. Of course, my reference is primarily the surgical instruments which were mostly steel, cast iron, pewter, brass, wood and so forth.

[Red Sea Trade]

I would guess that Dampier is referring to alum's notorious bitter taste. I use as my source that unimpeachable primary resource, Looney Tunes cartoons. Think of the reaction when, cartoon characters having accidentally ingested alum, their face puckers up and their entire heads shrink.

Alum being used in pickling and other food preparation, Dampier may have encountered it in that way.

[Red-Handed Jill]

Alum is also used for fixing dyes as well; it was quite valuable because of that, if memory serves.

And alum as the base of aluminum? Hmmm.... could have sworn it was actually bauxite.

[Misson]

It appears Red Sea Trade be right. I had my engineer cap on when reading Dampier and so Copper suggested wires and pipes, when, in fact, he was most likely referring to medicines.

Consulting Woodall's much-revered period sea surgeon's reference, The Surgeon's Mate we find...hmm...it's in here, but it looks like it's written in Norse Ruins. First he gives the Latin, then the common name (I guess) and then an explanation of what it's for. This was considered to be a great help to surgeon's mates, not all of whom could read Latin. Still looks like Norse ruins to me... Anyhow, plunging recklessly ahead:

"Alumen. - riue fanatiue, retrigeratiue &c [sorry, can't make heads or tails of that.] Allum (Crude) - Deficcatiue [Desiccative? - the u's appear to be v's in most cases which I will substitute going forward], a. stringent, corosive [corrosive], mundificative fanative [don't know this one, but it's the second time he's used it. I think the f is an s - sanative?] retrigerative, &c

Alumen - Combustum. Allum (Burnt) - An easie and a good corosive medicin, which also induceth a good fiacatrix.

Alumen - Plumosum, Allum (Plume) - A secret in restoring a withered member by a certaine hidden speciall vertue it hath" (Woodall, 315-6)

and, finally.

"Vitriolum Coppras - It is best which is made of copper." (Woodall, p. 328)

So there you have it. Actually, I'm not entirely sure what you have, but you must admit that you do have it. Yessir, a great help.

[Duchess]

mundificative fanative

The first word generally means cleaner and the second, replacing a s for the f is sanative which I would assume to mean a sterilizer or something to do with sanitary.

I'd make a similar subsitution on fanatiue to get sanative again.

And I suspect this one, retrigeratiue, to be a variation of regurgitive.

[Misson]

I thought that might be as well, but "sanitary" and "sterilization" had precious little to do with medicine at this time. In fact, although I was mainly playing in the above post (Woodall really is a bitch to read and I was just having fun with that) I looked sanative up in my beloved thefreedictionary.com and they say it means "Having the power to cure; healing or restorative." Huh.

On the topic of sterilization. I have actually read (although not from a period reference, from a modern one) that the more gore coated your apron was, the better surgeon you were thought to be. During battles on ships, they typically went from patient to patient without washing their hands because they had no understanding of germs or the need for cleanliness. Water was so precious on shipboard that they almost definitely wouldn't have used fresh water to wash up between every patient. If they would use anything it would be sea water and even that was a pain to get.

One account explained that large piss tubs were put around some ships because the urine could be used if there was a fire. I've even read that some people even believed urine was better for putting out fires than sea water. (Perhaps the stench convinced them that it was really effective. Anyone who has ever put out a campfire by peeing on it will probably know that doing so stinks like nothing you've ever smelled.)

Still, I appreciate your help and interpretation. If you would like, I'll send you the whole thing and you can help interpreting it. My plan is actually to quote parts of his book verbatim since it is so important and look things up as I type them in. 'Cause I sure can't read it like a book. (I have started Woodall three times. It gives me a headache.)

[Duchess]

So is that a threat or a promise?

I rather suspect that our current definitions of sanitary and such vary a bit from what they used to be. But you'd need a etymologist to join in for certain knowledge.

[Littleneckhalfshell]

AskOxford dictionaries

Duchess said "replacing a s for the f is sanative"

In old time printing (prior to 1780) there was a 'stylized' S that was used often at the beginning of words and in double S situations that looks a lot like an F but is not an F.

""Why is the letter 'f' used instead of 's' in old-fashioned spellings?

In genuine old-style printing, it is not the letter f, but a long form of the letter s (derived from handwriting styles), which looks very similar to f but does not have a complete cross-bar. It is not used at the ends of words, and in double s it is sometimes paired with a short s (which results in a compound letter like the German double-s (or `sz') symbol `ß'). It fell out of fashion with printers rather suddenly in about 1780. ""

So Misson, if you were not aware of this, take another look at that 'f' in fanative and see if it may indeed be a long stylized S and maybe something along the line of what Duchess suggested.

[Misson]

Oh, I know. I've seen it (and complained about it) with fair regularity. In Woodall, it is very much like an f, however. None of the accounts I've read use the double s, although I have seen that before. If the cross-stroke is shorter, it is not much shorter. Read through John Yonge, Woodes Rogers or Woodall and you'll see what I mean. (Plus, I like to read without my reading glasses (ironically enough, my ophthalmologist tells me reading w/o my glasses keeps my eyes stronger) and I sure as heck can't see the difference in the cross stroke. (If I can even see the cross-stroke at all.)

[Sjöröveren]

fiacatrix (cicatrix)

A scar left by the formation of new connective tissue over a healing sore or wound. So apparently alumen was used as a sort of chemical cautery.

On the topic of sterilization. I have actually read (although not from a period reference, from a modern one) that the more gore coated your apron was, the better surgeon you were thought to be

Absolutely true! My favorite example of this is Dr. Ignasz Semmelweiss, a Hungarian physician from the early 19th century. He worked in a hospital in Budapest just as it began to become fashionable for wealthy women to deliver there instead of at home. When a woman began labor, the doctors would leave they cadavers they were anatomizing, go upstairs and deliver the baby. Dr. Semmelweiss noticed that far more women were dying from "childbed fever" in the hospital compared to those who delivered at home. He proposed that there was a connection between the the cadavers and the fever deaths. For proposing such a ridiculous idea, he was fired and denounced. He died penniless. Less than 50 years later, his views were vindicated by Pasteur and Lister.

Shows what thinking outside the box will get you.

[Misson]

Ah yes...the childbed fever problem. Astounding, isn't it? Alas, it's not period. (Oh, these shackles I've willingly adopted for my book...) I haven't found a period account explaining that the more gory your apron looks, the better a surgeon you must be. Of course, it's sort of a marketing ploy and has the airs of vanity, so surgeons probably would not be wont to write about such if it were true in any event.