10 CRUISE OF STEAMER C JRWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAX. 



berth-deck was further increased by the liHiuidit.v brought ahout l)y tlie habit of dehigiuj;; the decks 

 above and below every inoniing with water. At my suguestioii this very reprehensible jmictice 

 was hai)]iily abolislied on tlie bertlideck. scraping and dry scrruhbing being substituted, and the 

 deck was n<it wetted oftener than once or twice a inonth. an<l only at times wlten tlie i)revah'iice of 

 tine weathei- wouhl Justify doing so. 



After procuring siicli a medical outtit as the exigencies of the cruise might require, and aftei- 

 taking the necessary prec^autions as to the hygienic condition of the vessel and crew, we .started on 

 our humane mission, putting to sea on May 4 and meeting with seven or eight uneventtnl days of 

 pleasant weather, exceptionally so for the .season. The ocean, somewhat deserving of the adjective 

 that designates it, displayed its prettitist combinations of lajiis lazuli antl ultramarine tints and 

 sun.set effects as we steamed through miles of niedusidie; and hatl it not been for the occasional 

 sight of whales and little black divers, with the daily fall in the thei-mometer, we should not have 

 known of our ai)proacli to the north. This liapi)y stat<^ of affairs did not (jontinue long on reaching 

 a higher latitude, where we were beset by pelting hail and furious storms of snow and all the 

 discomforts of sea life, causing a penihl^ navigation in every sense of the term. The intireased 

 cold, as we neared the north, had no ])er(!eptible effect for the worse on the health of the shii)'s 

 company; an<l it is gratifving to state that but few serious cases, either surgical or medical, 

 occurred during the entire voyage, a ha|)py event, undoubtedly owing to the careful precantionary 

 measures taken to secure full etticiency and to the excellent routine and discipline. 



The Corwin is a good sea vessel, being tolerably dry in bad weather, and her oscillations are 

 easy for a small craft. At the outset of the cruise, however, we were placed in the bc^st ))ossible 

 conditions for studying l)oth subjectively and objecti\ely the strange iilienoniena of that doleful 

 tribute of suffering that so many people are oblige<l to pay to the .sea. rnfortnnately .so little is 

 known of the nature and origin of this most distressing attecrtion, and medical science has done so 

 little to assuage its attacks, the wonder is that more extended experiments are not made by medical 

 men in I'egard to seasickness. In spite of many theories and hypotheses that have been advanced 

 to explain the i)henomena of this so-called disease, we know that its causes are ]>urcly physiciil ; 

 the swinging of the diaphragm, the disturban(!e of the ('(piilibriuni in the Hiiid contents of the 

 body — ijust as the mercury i)umps up and down in a baroineler — and the consequent reflex impres- 

 sibility of the ganglionic, i)neumogastric. and cerebro-.spinal .system of nerves pi'oducing a kind of 

 tri.splanchnic neurosis, whi<'h varies in different individuals JM'.eording to peculiarity of .structure 

 and susceptibility. 



Experience conviiKies that no drug known to the pharmacoptBia will i)revent or cure .seasick- 

 ness, notwithstanding the asseitions of eminent medical authority to the contrary. Resolute effort 

 of the will and the resort to such palliatives as drinks containing an excess of carbon dioxide, 

 iced champagne and liottled Milwaukee beer f(«- example, and oranges, were found to be the 

 most etHcacious modes of treatment adopted in the numerous cases of this almost unmitigated 

 evil coining under my observation. 



A portion of the <!rew suffered from violent phlegmon of the hand, arising doubtless from the 

 combined intluences of long confinement on sliijtboard, .sea diet, and unusual climatic (Conditions. 

 This affection was not confined to our ves.sel alone, for it prevailed extensively among the whale 

 men as well. The wor.st cases occurred among men whose history revealed the previous existence 

 of syphilis. To remedy the condition it was recommended that the entire shi|vs company be 

 allowed a run ashore as often as practicable, and that there be addeil to the usual dietary a ration 

 of cranberries, a supply of which had been laid in among other antiscorbutics. Happily, these 

 directions were comi)lied with as far as possible, and I had the satisfaction to witness the good 

 results. 



Another affection prevailing extensively among the (^rew was a cutaneous eruption attended by 

 excessive itching, which I at first susi)ected to be due to the presence of pedicnli ; but subsequent 

 experience showed that temporary alleviation could be brought al)0ut by the administration of 

 calcined magnesia and the topii-al application of vinegar and water. 1 may mention incidentally 

 that my friend Dr. Charles Smart, IT. S. A., who has cruised in the Arctic as far as latitude 82° on 

 a Peterhead whaleman, says that he has often noticed the foregoing symptoms in connection with 

 rheumatism among sailors, and also among soldiers in Arizona, who had been Uviug for some time 



