The Surgions Mate

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This book reproduces and comments on John Woodall’s handbook, a standard text for medical treatment at sea in the seventeenth century and the first instruction for medical service aboard ships. In 1612, the East India Company appointed Woodall as its first surgeon-general, leveraging his extensive medical experience from war. His mission was to reform medical aid on sailing ships and oversee the training of ship doctors. Woodall established standardized regulations for instruments and medicaments onboard and authored “The Surgions Mate,” published in 1617 and edited until 1655. This manual listed essential instruments and remedies for maritime use, with detailed annotations. It included notes on paracelsian drugs, the first tobacco enema, treatment for gunshot wounds, and the recommendation of lemon juice against scurvy. Additionally, it featured descriptions of injuries, instruments, and diseases based on Woodall’s personal observations at sea. The current edition includes extensive annotations on the first medical chest and its application on ships, as well as discussions on Woodall’s contributions to ship medicine and pharmacy in other seafaring nations. This work will interest historians of medicine and general readers alike.