SEMINAR: Health and Disease on the Dutch High Seas

The maritime endeavors of the Dutch East India Company were greatly successful due to a business model which maintained that the key to profitable trade was ensuring cargo made it to and from the Indies. Thus, from the inception of the Company, sea surgeons were required on every vessel to treat the injuries and maladies of crew members in order to keep both the ships and the engines of commerce moving forward. These surgeons also acted as the first and last line of defense against the onslaught of tropical diseases that could have easily decimated entire crews. The research for this MA thesis examines the contents of surgeons chests from the wrecks of Batavia (1629), Vergulde Draeck (1656) and Zeewijk (1727) and synthesizes this archaeological information with Company records, contemporary medical texts, and 17th century Dutch genre paintings. Through such research, the professional work and personal lives of Company sea surgeons is brought to light.