[Surgeons among the pirates in the 17th century].
The memoirs of ship's surgeons that sailed with the Caribbean buccaneers and pirates of the 17th century are an important source of information on how they lived and worked. The surgeons enjoyed a full-fledged position among the egalitarian buccaneers. Known buccaneer surgeons whose memoirs have been preserved were apparently not entirely qualified according to the traditional guild system. Besides the usual work of ship's surgeons in general, the buccaneer surgeons had to be able to cope with the specific demands of the tropical climate. Botanical knowledge obtained from the Indian tribes played an important role in surviving the jungles of Central America. In addition, they were required to assist with duels, which played an important role among pirates and buccaneers in the settling of conflicts aboard ship, this in contrast to the situation on merchant and navy ships.
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VU Medisch Centrum, afd. Metamedica, Postbus 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam.
D013502:General Surgery / Q000266:history*; D049670:History, 17th Century; D006801:Humans; D009326:Naval Medicine / Q000266:history*; D012767:Ships; D014330:Tropical Medicine / Q000266:history