Naval Medicine From the Quarterdeck in the Age of Sail

Abstract

To what extent did concern for men's health shape naval officers' decision-making in the West Indies in the age of sail? This essay draws on the papers and correspondence of Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth (1748-1817) to establish a hierarchy of decision-making priorities. The existing historiography suggests that an older generation of officers prioritized glory-seeking behavior over all else, while other historians have posited that men's health took priority. This essay shows that, in the case of Duckworth, mission always comes first, even at the cost to men's health, and glory-seeking came third.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 15, 2023
Accession Number
AD1203148

Entities

People

  • David Rothwell

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Health
  • Hierarchies
  • Men'S Health
  • West Indies

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

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