It
is usual for the captain to pass through this place, and to speak to the
men every morning; and I imagine there is hardly a ship in the service
in which wine, fresh meat, and any other supplies recommended by the
surgeon, are not sent from the tables of the captain and officers to
such of the sick men as require a more generous diet than the ship's
stores provided. After the carver in the gun-room has helped his
messmates, he generally turns to the surgeon, and says, 'Doctor, what
shall I send to the sick?' But, even without this, the steward would
certainly be taken to task were he to omit inquiring, as a matter of
course, what was wanted in the sick bay. The restoration of the health
of the invalids by such supplies is perhaps not more important, however,
than the moral influence of the attention on the part of the officers.
I would strongly recommend every captain to be seen (no matter for how
short a time) by the bed-side of any of his crew whom the surgeon may
report as dying. Not occasionally, and in the flourishing style with
which we read of great generals visiting hospitals, but uniformly and in
the quiet sobriety of real kindness, as well as hearty consideration for
the feelings of a man falling at his post in the service of his country.
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