"The Ships Surgeon"
Given the relative lack of medical knowledge in the early 18th century
the level of care that could be provided to a ship’s crew and her
passengers was limited at best.
Reliable and effective medications were likewise rare. Accordingly, the
primary role of the ship’s surgeon was treatment of injuries—frequently
by simple amputation.
Even so, skilled surgeons were in high demand and well paid. As a consequence,
most surgeons captured aboard pirate ships were able to make a case that
they had been forced to join the pirates.
A Scotsman named Ferguson was a surgeon among Bellamy’s
crew.
Some of the artifacts related to medical treatment recovered from the
Whydah site include…
CLICK TO VIEW ARTIFACTS:
Apothecary's Scales
