New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-18
MEDICAL SERVICE ON SHIPS
An ENGLISH REFORM AFFECTING AMERICA.

duced in the English Parliament by Joseph Chanuo
President Of the Board of Trade 1t reform s'oneT
urged b, the British Medical Association ana vigorous"
advocated hy The Journal of that assocation'oy ire h
ret The Medical Times and Gazette The hedod' f,s"'
and all the leading medical Journals "a =
gland; but the agitation OF the question: was i.'
begun some years ago by DR.. j. A. lrwln' wealthy e
Nsb pbvsciau who after many years OF service III 'o
vomans Of Manchester determined TO rerresh
his strength by few years of travel and who has since
emroyed his leisure in studying the SUBJECT VI Ho PFC
ent reform ON various English steamship hnes 10 inc
Mediterranean South America, Australia, India and IN
,b rn,mer months TO the port of New York While on
his 6 visit here he much pleased with this city,
and resolved some day TO make 1t his home Returning,
however TO London while still Interested In the surect
alluded to- he set TO bring about the needed re-
form He enlisted OF the medical journals nanep
and that of the London Tegrdph Standard ana Morn
il Post the Liverpool Mcrcury Manchester courier ana
other daily Journals He incidentally aroused the oppos
lion Of papers which published in the interest ofhe
smaller class OF shp-owners but this opposition merely
,eryed 10 aid Dr. by calling more general attention
TO his ideas He also partly through personal acquant
snce with some of the gentlemen named ana party
through his publications. awakened the attention anu
secured the cooperation OF such philosopher men as
sir Lyon Playfar Sir Eardley WilmOnt Herbert "idu-
stone son OF the Premier; W. T. Forster late Secretary
Tor Ireland Thomas Farrar Secretary OF the boar Vi
Trade; w H. Smith Uhe original of ~" joseph III I'M
afore y" Ernest Hart, chairman OF the Parliamentary
Committee of the British Medical Association Sir John
.noken Of as Gladsone's trouble i'll reference TO his
name and his constant hits at the present PREMIER SIT
Saul Samuel, Agent General of New South Wales FRO
fessor Huxley Count Moore NJ p, Sir Edward D. keed
Sir Spencer Wells, Surgeon TO the Queen Sr NldIn
Mccormack and the Duke of Beaufort, who, by the way
I'm letter on the subject roundy abuses Mr. Champer
lam for supposed delay IN presenting the SUBJECT 10
Parliament and speaks of him as Dltter DeHocId'o
Radical who would delight IN an opPoi' VI ''t"o
rude to any gentleman"
After getting this movement well under way in England
and becoming satisfied its favorable presentation in
Parliament Dr. Irwin carried out his intention OF settling
In ew York. TRIBUNE reporter found MN at NO 900
Fiftlave, opposite the Stewart mansion
AMERICAS INTEREST IN THE REFORM.
al have done all can hope to do in England he said
In answer 10 inquiries and if pursue the subject here
as am doing in of the medical Journals II Is oe
cause think American people and Government are
even interested the reform than are the tghsh
people. The great bulk of the travel on our transatlantic
steamships is from yOr wealthy Amecansn the saloons
and your future citizens in The steerage Inc former
class want the best of medical attention on shpDoaru
lust as they nave ahOme The other class crowded III
The steerage, require ii much more than they 90 on
among them and on their being landed the OF It
may scattered in every direction among ne cies ana
IS T I meT Medical Director your Navy is inter
s1eG ba mppTsace OF this reform 10 America and
American travellers and immigrants
RELATIVE CHARACTER OF THE SERVICE.
THAT interest is OF course confined to the lines run
ming between Europe and America How do the surgeons
on these ships compare in ability with the surgeons on
British steamers to other landsp
"Oh should say the transatlantic feet are better
provided with surgeons than any other Of the British
me reliant vessels, except those carrying emgrants to
Australia and New-Zealand under Government super
vision But here 100 the greatest room FOR i'm
prOvement'
what are some of the defects"
"Of all the linesl You must bear in mind that England
has not ore mercantile marine medical service but per
Ordc
End varying in customs and conditions. There ought to
he one National service There is comparatively little
cause complaint with possibly two or three companies
but the others are open manS objections more than can
think Of enumerang This diversity Of the service Is
strong ground complaint, it leaves no central re-
There is NO regulation or the duties responsi
bies status salary, grade or even OF lhe accohinOu
tions Of a surgeon on sipboard mere Is no nAeu pay, OF
rank and examination made OF slps surgeons Dy any
official power. An economical COMPANY OF misery 3%n t
engage any incompetent Young Htucdl Ei
without reference any thing but the lowest salary he
WI tb s o ior 0 e e taxing pleasure voyage Or two
The highest paid surgeons Oh steamships ls
steward Perustes are few nowadays; you even
the best steamers give very insufficient pay
CHEAP AND UNSTABLE SERVICE.
"Competent men," continued d.. Irwin, g can seldom
lie had at these rates; such competent are
forced by personal necessities to ship surgeons they
remain aboard only until they can better themselves
Hence there little stability about the service, ana You
seldom find really competent surgeon for any length OF
time in company's employ. The companies and ship
owners engage surgeons they do by the VOy
age and consequence are often forced to engage
new surgeon a days notice before sailing. Oiten
crowded passcnger-ships are sent out in medical
charge OF young and inexperienced surgeons, la
bic themselves to sea-sickness and who do not even
know what duties they will have 10 perlonnior instance
On reaching quarantine in your port At other times men
n poor health which fact forces them to be at sea for
their own strength, will be engaged surgeons Of course
such cannot depended upon to perform all the service
demanded OF them crowded vessel Then there IS
AMOUNT f qronol HABITS incapabiG Of command
ing retaining practice al ther homes ihec are many
tsiuly Here is d return made to Parliament 10y the
Board Of Trade Il shows mat Of az surgeons
who during the first six months of 1882 had fun medical
charge OF ships carving passengers to TINS
cDiy igeny,scyen Who possessed any qualification as
physcia and surgeon had reached thirty years OF age
TOry-six were under twenii -hVG years Ana mere
point which will astonish YOU sixty OF them would
have been lnenglDe through tcA VI @ S, gii,
cations for any appointment III our Army NaN!k asy
prison poOIaw service That to say these ships ana
Tor medical advice on who are pronounced by
English law to insuicenty qualified to treat English
Dr. Irwin paused moment possibly to see the effect
on bis hearer Of this surprising statement
Now want you he hastily resumed, TO understand
that among the ships surgeons all that they
any POSITION with honor The trouble is that under the
present circumstances the position seems made to suit me
halfqudlihed youngsters ana me competent men are
forced into upon exactly the same terms The return
ships in question plying between this country
aud England there were thirty-three medical officers
named The surgeons have no assist tnce whatever Oh
these steamers not hospital nurse ana as cOnse
qucnce during the times OF general sickness one man can
not DO al the work satisfactorily suppose you think
that sca-sckness needs treatment; bu have myself
seen TWO cases OF death ron heart disease which would
not have occurred II the violent vomiting from sca-sick
which was the Immediate cause, had been controlled
by treatment"
RATES OF MORTALITY.
care there any official data to the of mortality
On transatlantic lnesP
Eyes English statistics published by order Of the
House Of Commons in 1892 show that OF the thirteen
urpcipal English lines TO this country the mortality in