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Early Modern Naval Health Care in England, 1650–1750 |
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Tracing the emergence of organized health care for Royal Navy seamen during the Age of Sail.
From 1650 to 1750 the provision of medical care for injured seamen in the Royal Navy underwent a major transformation, shifting from care provided by civilians in private homes to care at hospitals run by the navy. Early Modern Naval Health Care in England examines the factors responsible for the emergence of centralized naval health care over the course of a century.
In 1650 sick and injured Royal Navy sailors were billeted in homes in coastal communities where civilians were paid to look after them. Care work, which involved making meals and feeding patients, administering medicines, washing clothes and bed linens, and shaving and cutting hair, was essential to the recovery of tens of thousands of seamen - and it was done mostly by women. Beginning at the turn of the eighteenth century, naval health care moved to a more centralized system based in hospitals, where the conduct of sailors and care workers could be overseen. A key factor driving this change was the relationships between naval officials and female civilian caregivers, which were often fraught. Yet even with the shift to naval hospital settings, most care for convalescing sailors continued to be provided by women.
Early Modern Naval Health Care in England shines a light on the care work that lay behind England’s formidable Royal Navy during the Age of Sail.
In 1650 sick and injured Royal Navy sailors were billeted in homes in coastal communities where civilians were paid to look after them. Care work, which involved making meals and feeding patients, administering medicines, washing clothes and bed linens, and shaving and cutting hair, was essential to the recovery of tens of thousands of seamen - and it was done mostly by women. Beginning at the turn of the eighteenth century, naval health care moved to a more centralized system based in hospitals, where the conduct of sailors and care workers could be overseen. A key factor driving this change was the relationships between naval officials and female civilian caregivers, which were often fraught. Yet even with the shift to naval hospital settings, most care for convalescing sailors continued to be provided by women.
Early Modern Naval Health Care in England shines a light on the care work that lay behind England’s formidable Royal Navy during the Age of Sail.
Details
Part of the McGill-Queen’s/AMS Healthcare Studies in the History of Medicine, Health, and Society (number 63 in series)
288 Pages, 6 x 9
4 maps
ISBN 9780228020585
June 2024
Formats: Cloth, Paperback, eBook
"This is an impressive and thoughtful history of naval health care in early modern England, built on careful archival research that uncovers a wealth of detail and historical evidence for a key period in English and naval history. Neufeld’s revisionist approach argues for a focus on care, which allows women to come to the forefront of histories usually dominated by men while also allowing for historical sensibility in understanding medicine." Erica Charters, University of Oxford and author of Disease, War, and the Imperial State: The Welfare of the British Armed Forces during the Seven Years' War
Matthew Neufeld is associate professor of history at the University of Saskatchewan.
Figuresix
Acknowledgments xi
Chapter 1
Introduction: Care Work and Care Workers in the Early Modern Royal Navy 3
Chapter 2
Finding Care for Sick and Injured Seamen in England, 1650–1688 19
Chapter 3
Suffering the System of Care during the Nine Years’ War and After, 1689–1701 45
Chapter 4
Securing Care for Seamen during Queen Anne’s War, 1702–1715 69
Chapter 5
Naval Health Care during the Early Georgian Era, 1715–1739 105
Chapter 6
Failing and Succeeding to Provide Care during the War with Spain, 1739–1744 125
Chapter 7
Disorders and Due Care for Seamen during the War against France, 1744–1748 158
Chapter 8
Conclusion 187
Notes 197
Bibliography 237
Index 259
Acknowledgments xi
Chapter 1
Introduction: Care Work and Care Workers in the Early Modern Royal Navy 3
Chapter 2
Finding Care for Sick and Injured Seamen in England, 1650–1688 19
Chapter 3
Suffering the System of Care during the Nine Years’ War and After, 1689–1701 45
Chapter 4
Securing Care for Seamen during Queen Anne’s War, 1702–1715 69
Chapter 5
Naval Health Care during the Early Georgian Era, 1715–1739 105
Chapter 6
Failing and Succeeding to Provide Care during the War with Spain, 1739–1744 125
Chapter 7
Disorders and Due Care for Seamen during the War against France, 1744–1748 158
Chapter 8
Conclusion 187
Notes 197
Bibliography 237
Index 259
9780773554863
$140.00 CAD
Cloth
9780773528970
$125.00 CAD
Cloth
