The Ship's Medicine Chest and Medical Aid at Sea

The need for medical care has been a constant since the day the first merchant ship sailed centuries ago. Concern for the health of merchant mariners has, from the beginning, been a part of our nation's history. In the 1700's, legislation mandated that a Medicine Chest be carried on each American Flag vessel of more than 150 tons, provided it had a crew of ten or more. By 1798, a loose network of marine hospitals, mainly in port cities, was established by Congress to care for sick and disabled American merchant seamen. Called the Marine Hospital Service, later the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service, and finally the Public Health Service, these federal entities continued to provide healthcare to merchant seamen until 1981. The Ship's Medicine Chest and Medical Aid at Sea has been a part of much of this maritime history. This edition has evolved through many previous editions. The Public Health Service published the first Medicine Chest in 1881 under the title, Handbook for the Ship's Medicine Chest.