Naval Medicine from the Quarterdeck in the Age of Sail

reportActive / Technical Report | Accesssion Number: AD1202903 | Open PDF

Abstract:

To what extent did concern for men's health shape naval officers' decision-making in the West Indies in the age of sail? This essay draws on the papers and correspondence of Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth (1748-1817) to establish a hierarchy of decision-making priorities. The existing historiography suggests that an older generation of officers prioritized glory-seeking behavior over all else, while other historians have posited that men's health took priority. This essay shows that, in the case of Duckworth, mission always came first, even at the cost to men's health, and glory-seeking came third.

Author(s):
Rothwell, David
Author Organization(s):
NAVAL WAR COLLEGE NEWPORT RI
Funding Organization(s):
NAVAL WAR COLLEGE NEWPORT RI, NEWPORT , RI
Document Type:
Technical Report/Research Paper
Publication Date:
2023 May 31
Pagination:
15

Security Markings

DOCUMENT & CONTEXTUAL SUMMARY

Distribution Code:
A - Approved For Public Release
Distribution Statement: Public Release

RECORD

Collection: TRECMS
Subject Terms
Communities of Interest:
Biomedical
Descriptor(s):
men's health, physicians, west indies, health, military medicine, health services, hospitals, tropical diseases, universities, demographic cohorts, disease outbreaks, diseases, hierarchies, islands, navy, squadrons, war
Keyword(s):
west indies, Duckworth thomas john
Subject Categories:
Behavioral and Social Sciences; Biological and Medical Sciences
Creation Date:
2023 Jun 06
Update Date:
2023 Jul 28