New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-21
THE HEALTH OF SAILORS.


,,ou rur REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE rRIBuSE.I
WASHINGTON, July 14.-"We often hear
rom the lips OF old salts" says Dr. Hoher smith, sur
reon of the u s. Marine Hospital at New-York In paper
mn "The Hygiene of the FOrecastle" recently printed
with the Supervising Surgeons Annual Report we
ofen hear from the lips OF old salts that there are no
sailors nowadays: meaning thereby that the Vpca
American seaman only In tradition That there
truth in the lament and that the marine hospital sur
rcon has seek for the causes OF this cecaoehce
The reken down wrecks Of humanity that throng the
,ppraehcs to our marine hospitals and the lamcntapie
average OF sailors seagong ves-now estma'eo ~ ess
than IL years-make ready answer" To determine .ne
affect OF seafarng pursuits upon the prodacton mouif
ration or limitation OF Diseases TO discover why IL Is Una"
the number unseawerthy sailors is greater IMAM TOT
merly and to improve their condition 10 he
pbiect OF Supervising Surgeon Woodwork IN sohc'hs
articles 20 accompany his report from the medical corps
under direction. The papers for last year are not
therefore, devoted to the technical treatment anu tx
position strictly medical and surgical TOPICS such rs
might be found In medical periodicals, but III the
language of Woodwork cover "a class OF subjects
rarely treated of in purely medical literature ana OF
interest in other than strictly professional circles
These subjects grouped into two classes-those IT.
tating 10 the marine hospital service in It's dealings
Exclusively with the sailor and those relating 10 inc
service in its connection with the public health 1.-THE
Hygiene of the Forecastlc," TO which reference has
already made is the first Of this years contributions
and is written by DR.. Heber Smith of Ncw-iork. the
need OF more effective sanitary protection for the sailor
is very forcibly urged by Dr. Smith in the following
paragraph
The forccaste Of the ship TO this hour the neglected
point sanitary police. The absence OF ehec,Nc lner
or earnest efforts made in that direction mas
proyerbia but is partlcnaIy n9 S IN are
SO helpless and the demand for interference is so urgent
Sailors are not brought under sanitary observation as
them them for the advancement Of selfish pnr
able logic that the public wea is teoIardis'd ny tne
wrongs that whole world has knowledge or but sun
looks upon with Indifference and ncglec the dissent
nation OF cholera, smallpox, typhus, yoos; anu re-
all their Varied forms is p obably he dreaded
from sailors fitting about from hHrt TO ro , c 81
cholera occurred in this country that has not been
imported here in ships and the same IL true Oh !eio~
fever.
After quoting examples and statistics 10 prove these
assertions Dr. Smith suggests the remedy as follows:
"rtv tne an the building Of the ship to mod
lily It's construction; in the hold where The cargo Is
cure light air and convenience; the embarkaton to
enforce personal abuon and other pepaIatGe ior lno
dangers and correct the errors Of indoldence and
they may pc over apS s inmates from in
fecting each other and those among whom they may ne
b tnIS%n ali these things shall have
psed we may then grid mp our IONS Tor an attack on
This PandOras Of disease, by whose widespread an
pervading reign medical skill, social science ana Vitai
statistics are all and equally set at nanght-
DR. Smith. in the same paper, exposes some OF inc
worst errors of of the forecases Of ships
quoting examples from Dr. Judsons Report upon SAM
tary Condition of the waterside and seamon' pup
Ushed by the Metropolitan Board OF Health, New-foTk
1869 and then describes the result of OF his own
recent inspections The following. which is his report
upon the forecasue OF one of the Sound boats ia
sample Of all:
Steamboat Bridgeport, 10 years old. plying between
NcwYork and 20 spe iIance Of ~
feet width at bulknead = Tee, 4 rnVne5s me- on
one Side 6 on the other, and against the bulk
head four Gneh arSs sRd 2 The opy eNrn
through hatch feet inches by ieet, slI9a, s
Rd ISr is one Of the class cubic space
pef an being about 100 feet In the forecasc OF one
per bunk was found be less Than so feet, with less
adequate of ventilation han the Bridsedort pos
Illustrations of Dr. Bngss idea OF the desire that must
have govern ,1e men NAIL srac human life could I've
maintained. They also illustrate me hqllc pan Oh ven
hc csed When under way, ana that in rough weather
tile hatch also must he covered, we nave INC oo'e eo
plete, even 10 the cork
MODEL FOREC,srLE
d. Smith In the discharge OF his duties, has found some
vessels on board OF which proper provision has been made
for the health and comfort Of the sailors Among these
are the ship Ocean King and the schooner X NJ BIOcR
ilgs. OF the latter he says:
Tn. schooner r. NJ Brockngs, Capt. A. j. BOwn, is an
additional Illustration OF what has been done ID the eoIt
70 ame.orate the condition OF sedInen aloa' ana Is htc
citel not much example thlt can bt put Ihto
immediate practice upon al vessels as 10 SLOW VIVA
he
and owners but by seaInen as Vel rms sed, WIZ
company of eight souls all tod, was iOuhn 70 nave ii
forccastc at all in the ordinary accetaoh OF tia WI
portion Of cabin being given NJ 70 the men before
mast. The room was comfortably hlted Mlty ncItns
"a stove table with books and wr9iinS material upon ~
sHJ Tic bnlkheads were adorned with pictures. Al!
messed tOgther, and &c c"lar has MS WE on ootid
In speaking the aaya;agcs Of this system OF treating
sailors Ike human beings, the captain SAID II was no
Longer an cxl erment but had been practlced by MN
ever since lie left the 0recastlc for the CABIN lie IL
Guircd smaller 10 manage his vessel and secured
. -. .,,:ss Of mcn. They remained on DVaiu III port
The GeI8DrauLDE lnuucICcs OF DO@lu-
missioner was not req reh As - nc Was mo-
1aIe had NOT boen change in the personnel OF his
in eight months, ana some OF nus men nau pse
te,n ,rere unEaowD as his obtained their Ihoney
whenever they wanted it after II YVES earned II was
economical for the ship in many ways but one mess had
Ia I've provided and the took pride III the Vesse
and in keeping her and ali her appointments III s9od
order But one thing seemed required IN this vessel 10
make it the sailors ideal of ship, and that was ecu
MARY interest IN her.
The paper written by DR. Frank W Reilly on American
Commerce and Service" aims TO correct popular mis-
apprehensOns iii regard TO the character ana conditions
o seattle and service and TO enlist public interest in the
efforts now making reform the service The picture
which Dr. Reilly draws Of the life of the sailor far from
an attractive Speaking of the ship he says;
No prison. certainly none Of modern days is SO
uretched but life within walls Is preferable on the
nr of nhVsc comfort to the quarters and the life of
The sailor on the majority OF merchant vessels No
t dietary SO meager no penal soryitude exactng
la anthorify so uprest rained aud brutal such
utter want and fOrehought for health ana lie
of convict or feion rule and not he exception
for the man before would be tolerated com
preLended by the community.
As result OF this neglect and iltreatment, the writer
calls attention fact that American seaman
American vessel is fast becoming unknown
THOSE who remain are, with exceptions skukers.
"sealawyers," and vicious and generally incompetent
and worthless. Unless there is remedy discovered for
this decentralization among American seamen Dr. Reilly
thinks that the promise of maritime supremacy drawn