2 
A Voyage to JA MAICA. 
The Cormmos 
Sea-fickne/s 
confider’d. 
Acofta’s O- 
pinion con- 
cerning it re- 
fated. 
* Martens, 
cap, O, 
Afternoon, the Wind being North-Weft Northerly ; but next Morning the 
Wind coming South South-Eaft, and blowing hard with Rain, we came back 
to St. Helens Road, where we lay in eleven Fathom water, Oofie Ground, 
and about three Miles from the Land, till the 19. the Wind being South-wefterly 
all this while, with rainy dirty Weather. We who had not been accuftomed to 
the Sea, at firft {etting Sail, oreven on firft going aboard, by the Heaving and 
Setting, asSeamen term it, or the Motion of the Ship by the Waves, were all 
of usalmoft Sea-Sick. This firft appears by a great uneafinels and load abour 
the Stomach, diforder and aching in the Head, high colour’d Urine, and Vo- 
miting at firft what has been lately car or drunk, then a great quantity of 
ferous Matter infipid to the Taft, and mixt with Ropy Phlegm. Then if the 
Vomiting continues, comes the Yellow bitter Bile or Choler, pump’d up by 
the inverted motion of the Duodenum out of the Gall-Bladder, as well as the fub- 
acid Juices from the Pancreas and neighbouring Glands, which give a greenifh 
Tin@ture to whatever comes up, and fometimes a four Taft; and after thefe 
Liquors vomited up, as after a Natural or Artificial Vomit, the Perfons ge- 
nerally from defponding and not caring what happens to them, come to be 
very eafie. There are great Controverfies among learned Men concerning the 
Caufe of this Sicknefs. ofeph Acofta afcribes it to the Sea-Air, but I think 
Without any manner of Reafon, for it feems only to proceed from the unac- 
cuftomed motion of the Ship *, which is fometimes higher or lower, or on one 
fide or t’other, according to the Waves on the top of which fhe {wims, or the 
Sail fhe carries; few People are Sick when the Waves are {mall, and the motion 
of the Shipinconfiderable,and thofe unaccuftom’d to the Sea are always out of 
order more orlefs in proportion to the motion of the fame, and are extremely 
fick in great Storms, when:cven. the Seamen themfelves, who have ufed that 
life many years, are not free from it, asmany have related ro me. It feems to 
be a greater or lefler Vomit, according to the Weather, and chat, as Artificial 
Vomits, they fomctimes work eafily on fome Tempers, and on other People 
of a different Confticution not at all. Thata very {mall unaccuftom’d motion 
of Man’s Body will produce Vomiting, is very plain from thofe not ufed to 
Coaches, or to ride backwards in them, which altho it is not a very extraor- 
dinary motion; yet in fome will produce the fame effects as if they were at. 
Sea. And that a greater will {cldom mifS, is evident from the Vomitings 
which moftly follow violent or Confumptive Coughs, which feem only to 
affect the Stomach in making it move irregularly with its Contents, by the 
great motion of the Diaphragma and Mutcles of the Belly: and this is more 
plain by that fort of punifhment ufed in Switzerland, and fome other Coun- 
tries, Malefactors being put into a fort of Cage, which being turn’d round 
makes them fo Sick as to Vomit with uneafinels. Asto the two Arguments 
ufed by Acoffato prove his Pofition, they do not move me ; for his firtt, thar 
the farther off Land, one is the ficker, is not true, for People are generally 
fickeft when they go firft on Board, and although the motion of the Ship, be- 
caufe of the largenefs of the Waves then is greater, yet by Cuftom they be- 
come not fo Sick : and for that other Reafon of his, that he was once at Land 
fick on a great Sea-breeze, I believe his ficknef$ was accidental, otherwife 
thofe who live on {mall Iflands far remote from Continents, as St. Fielena, would 
have a fickly time on’t. Why this unaceuftom’d motion fhould produce this 
effect, is beyond my giving any tolerable account of, only this is obvious, 
that Water in any open Veflel, if not lafh’d fo as to remain Horizontal in 
whatever Pofition the Ship be, will on alterations of the pofture of the Ship 
overflow ; even fothe Contents of the Stomach, if Liquid, may run impetu- 
oufly feveral ways, touch or make an irritation on fome parts of the Body or 
Stomach it did not touch before, and how fenfible thofe nervous parts are, 
need not be tald any whe have feen Vivifections, where the leaft; but fuper- 
| ficial 
