Ship ' s doctor A Ship ' s doctor or Ship ' s surgeon is the person responsible for the health of the people aboard a ship at sea . The term " ship ' s doctor " or " ship ' s surgeon " appears often in reference to the Age of Sail British Royal Navy ' s " surgeons " . These men , like other physicians , often did not have much medical training . They cared for the members of the ship , dealing with wounds from battle , disease and the other medical problems which plagued the Navy throughout the world . Royal Navy . During the Age of Sail , the Royal Navy carried trained medical officers aboard its warships , who usually learned their trade before coming on board ship . They were generally called surgeons . The Navy Board qualified surgeons through an examination at the Barber - Surgeons ' Company and they were responsible to the Sick and Wounded Board under the Navy Board . Warranted Naval Medical officers , similar to doctors on shore , were not required to have a medical degree and were generally trained by apprenticeship . By 1814 , the Royal Navy had 14 physicians , 850 surgeons , 500 assistants surgeons caring for 130 , 000 men on shore and at sea . They were very well paid , starting at £14 per month in 1815 for surgeons with less than 6 years of experience , up to £25 4s for 20 years of experience . They were also allowed £43 for equipment , £5 for every 100 cases of venereal disease they treated , and a personal servant . Factoring in prize money , a ship ' s surgeon could make well over £200 a year . Rank . Surgeons were ranked by the Navy Board based on their training and social status . Surgeons were wardroom warrant officers with a high status , billeted along with the other officers in the wardroom . Until the Navy ' s medical services were reorganized in 1806 , surgeons were warranted by individual ship captains , not commissioned by the Admiralty . After 1808 , surgeons , like masters were considered equivalent to commissioned officers and were ' Warrant officers of Wardroom Rank ' . Surgeons were assisted by surgeon ' s mate s , who after 1805 were called assistant surgeons . The surgeon and his mates were assisted by boys , who were called loblolly boy s , named after the gruel commonly served in the sick bay . A small number of doctors with a prestigious medical education were ranked as physicians ; they would supervise surgeons on ships or run hospitals on shore . Duties . The surgeon ' s duties included responsibility for his mates and loblolly boys , visiting patients at least twice a day , and keeping accurate records on each patient admitted to his care . The surgeon would take morning sick call at the mainmast , assisted by his mates , as well as tending to injured sailors during the day . During sea battles , the surgeon worked in the cockpit , a space permanently partitioned off near a hatchway down which the wounded could be carried for treatment . The deck was strewn with sand prior to battle to prevent the surgeon from slipping in the blood that accumulated . In addition to caring for the sick and wounded , surgeons were responsible for regulating sanitary conditions on the ship . They fumigated the sick bay and sometimes whole decks by burning brimstone ( sulfur ) , and maintained the ventilating machines that supplied fresh air to the lower decks to keep them dry . Famous Surgeons . Historical . George Bass sailed to New South Wales as the ship ' s doctor on board HMS " Reliance " . Fictional . Stephen Maturin - one of the main characters of Patrick O ' Brian ' s Aubrey - Maturin series .