British naval health, 1700-1800: improvement over time?

Patricia Kathleen Crimmin

Journal: Clio medica (Amsterdam, Netherlands) 2008;81():183-200

PMID: 18005548

Abstract

Did British naval health improve over the course of the eighteenth century? The Sick and Hurt Board sought cures for common ailments such as scurvy by encouraging experimentation, and the development of cheap universal treatments. It also strove to provide a healthful environment and diet. Overall, prevention rather than the development of cures was very much the focus. This chapter also argues that too much emphasis has been placed on the authoritarian nature of the British Navy in the eighteenth century.

MeSH Terms: Health Status, History, 18th Century, History, 19th Century, Hospitals, Military, Humans, Military Medicine, Naval Medicine, Preventive Medicine, Quality of Health Care, Scurvy, Therapeutic Human Experimentation, United Kingdom