264 THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN 



by charging for a medicine-chest. Such a necessity might well 

 have been considered a vital part of the equipment, to be pro- 

 vided by the agents just as harpoons and whale-boats and food- 

 stuffs were furnished. In the early years of the industry, 

 however, the treatment of illness at sea depended upon the 

 master and the rough-and-ready administration of such simple 

 remedies and common medicines as he may have had the fore- 

 sight to take aboard. Later a standardized medicine-chest, in- 

 cluding a supply of the more familiar drugs and directions for 

 their use, was developed. But the owners felt that the pro- 

 vision of such a chest, however simple and inexpensive, was 

 an additional financial burden which their crews must assist in 

 bearing. Consequently a medicine-chest charge of $i to $2 

 per head began to appear in the crew-accounts 5 and this custom, 

 once started, continued throughout the remaining history of 

 American whaling. The amount assessed (seldom more than 

 $2) was relatively unimportant in itself j but it added another 

 link to the long chain of whalemen's debits. 



The final type of debit entry was due to sums advanced by 

 the agents to third parties, practically always kinsmen of men 

 who were away at sea. Such advances of money, while care- 

 fully restricted to the families of officers, boatsteerers, and the 

 most responsible foremast hands, were sometimes necessitated 

 by the exigencies of whaling life. In exceptional circum- 

 stances the agents might consent to assist in meeting an emer- 

 gency even without express authorization from the man whose 

 account would be affected. Thus some family crisis no doubt 

 explained the item of $100.63 paid to the master's wife during 

 a voyage of the ship Brighton which ended in 1847. More 

 commonly, however, a departing whaleman would request his 

 agents to advance reasonable sums to specified dependents 

 whenever they might apply for them. During the sixth whal- 

 ing voyage of the ship James Maury y for instance, the wives 

 of the master, second mate, cooper, and a boatsteerer received 

 numerous advances. Or a man at sea might send back a writ- 

 ten request to advance definite amounts to dependents or 

 creditors. 



To avoid inconvenience and risk, the agents were loath to 

 pay out money in this manner unless they felt assured of the 



