VOYAGE TO NEW SOUTH WALES. 
35 
butic patients are reftrained in the ufe of water (which ^7^7* 
I .believe is never the cafe but through abfolute ne- 
ceflity), and they have nothing to live on but the fhip's 
provifion, the furgeon's neceffaries being ill-chofen and very 
inadequate to the wife and falutary purpofes for which go- 
vernment intended them, all the antifeptics and antifcorbu- 
tics we know of will avail very little in a difeafe fo much to be 
guarded againfl, and dreaded, by feamen. In one of his Ma- 
jefly's fhips, I was liberally fupplied with that powerful anti- 
fcorbutic, effence of malt; we had alfo four krout; and be- 
iides thefe, every remedy that could be comprifed in the 
fmall compafs of a medicine chefl: ; yet, when neceffity 
forced us to a fhort allowance of water, although, aware of the 
confequence, I freely adminiftered the effence, 8cc. as a pre- 
fovative, the fcurvy made its appearance with fuch hafty and 
rapid ftrides, that all attempts to check it proved fruitlefs, 
until good fortune threw a fhip in our way, who fpared us a 
fufficient quantity of water to ferve the lick with as much as 
they could ufe, and to increafe the fhip's allowance to the 
feamen. This fortunate and very feafonable fupply, added 
to the free ufe of the effence of malt, &c. which I had before 
F 2 ftrialy 
