o_199m9vaui14ib1cnu10di10pocoj4h.pdf

SURGEONS 275
drugs intended for the invalids. 1 Some details have
been preserved of the charges against two surgeons in
Bridport's squadron. The crew of the Minotaur complained
to Bridport that their surgeon had failed in
respect of inattention, cruelty and drunkenness. 2 This
accusation, for all its brevity, reveals an unsatisfactory
state of affairs. In the report from the Marlborough
more particulars were given. The surgeon must have
been a faithful supporter of thecaptain. He was charged
with the usual fault of withholding the provisions
supplied for the use of sick men, and several instances
of his cruelty were mentioned in the paper of complaints
sent to Howe. He allowed one man, who was really
ill, to be flogged ; and when the same man was " a living
skeleton " he reported him to the captain for punishment.
A sailmaker who went to the surgeon for treatment was
told that he " was not sick but skulking." The captain,
anxious to uphold the authority of his colleague, sent the
sailmaker to the maintop. Three days later the sick man
developed a swelling on his head, but the surgeon
insisted that the swelling was due to an excess of burgoo 3
and molasses. The sailmaker died on the following day. 4
Only one instance of the neglect of sick men is known
to have occurred in the Nore fleet. This case attracted
public attention because the officer who was concerned in
it was tarred and feathered by the seamen ; and the
penalty was largely justified by the fact that he had
been drinking heavily for several weeks and was quite
incapable of discharging his duty. Apart from this act
of retribution the seamen at the Nore had no means of
advertising the faults of individual surgeons. In all
1. See Art. 3 of the general petition to the Admiralty, 18 April
(Ann. Beg., State Papers, p. 241). In the orders of 1 May captains and
commanders were instructed to take particular care that the surgeons
should not embezzle their supplies (ibid., p. 250).
2. A.S.I. 107, J 224, 23 April.
3. An infusion of oatmeal supplied to the seamen at breakfast. In
1825 it was replaced by cocoa (Robinson, p. 140).
4. Howe's report. A.S.I. 4172.