Page:Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA mobot31753000820123).pdf/174

2 A Voyage to JAMAICA. Afternoon, the Wind being North-West Northerly; but next Morning the Wind coming South South-East, and blowing hard with Rain, we came back to Helens Road, where we lay in eleven Fathom water, Oosie Ground, and at about three miles from the Land. till the 19. the Wind being South-westerly all this while, with rainy dirty Weather. We who had not been accuftomed to the Sea, at first setting Sail, or even on first going aboard, by the Heaving and Setting, as Seamen term it, or the Motion of the Ship by the Waves, were all of us almost Sea-Sick. This first appeared by a great uneasiness and load about the Stomach, disorder and aching in the Head, high colour'd Urine, and Vomiting continues, come the Yellow bitter Bile or Choler, pump'd up by the inverted motion of the Duodenum out of the Gall-Bladder, as well as the subacid Juices from the Pancreas and neighbouring Glands,, which give a greenish Tincture to whatever comes up, and sometimes a four Tast; and after these Liquors vomited up, as after a Natural or Artificial Vomit, the Persons geiierally from desponding and not caring what happens to them, come to be very easie. There are great Controversies among learned Men concerning the Cause of this Sickness. Joseph Acosta ascribes it to the Sea-Air, but I think without any manner of Reason, for it seems only to proceed from the unaccustomed motion of the Ship *, which is sometimes higher or lower, or on one side or t'other, according to the Waves on the top of which the swims, or the Sail the carries; few People are Sick when the Waves are small, and the motion of the Ship inconfiderable, and those unaccustom'd to the Sea are always out of order more or lest in proportion to the motion of the same, and are extremely sick in great Storms, when even the Seamen themselves, who have used that life many years, are not free from it, as many have related to me. It seems to be a greater or lesser Vomit, according to the Weather, and that, as Artificial Vomits, they sometimes work easily on some Tempers, and on other People of a different Constitution not at all. That a very small unaccustom'd motion of Man's Body will produce Vomiting, is very plain from those not used to Coaches, or to ride backwards in them, which altho it is not a very extraordinary motion; yet in some will produce the same effects as if they were at Sea. And that a greater will seldom miss, is evident from the Vomitings which mostly follow violent or Consumptive Coughs, which seem only to affect the Stomach in making it move irregularly with its Contents, by the great motion of the Diaphragma and Muscles of the Belly: and this is more plain by that, sort of punishment used in Switzerland, and some other Countries, Malefactors being put into a sort of Cage, which being turn'd round makes them so Sick as to Vomit with uneasiness. As to the two Arguments used by Acosta to prove his Position, they do not move me; for his first, that the farther off Land, one is the sicker, is not true, for People are generally sickest when they go first on Board, and although the motion of the Ship, because of the largeness of the Waves then is greater, yet by Custom they become no so Sick: and for that other Reason of his, that he was once at Land sick on a great Sea-breeze, I believe his sickness was accidental, otherwise those that live on small Islands far remote from Continents, as St.Helena, would have a sickly time on't. Why this unaccustom'd motion should produce this effect, is beyond my giving any tolerable account of, only this is obvious, that Water in any open Vessel, if not lash'd so as to remain Horizontal in whatever Position the Ship be, will on alterations of the posture of the Ship overflow; even so the Contents of the Stomach, if Liquid, may run impetuously several ways, touch or make an irritation on some parts of the Body or Stomach it did not touch before, and how sensible those nervous parts are, need not be told any who have seen Vivisections, where the least, but superficial