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Art Marine

The Red Cliffs of Goodrington, 1782 - John Christian

The Red Cliffs of Goodrington, 1782 - John Christian

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Style

Original watercolour on paper signed lower right.

Image size: 17.25 x 13.25 inches
Mount size: 22 x 18 inches
Frame size: 25 x 21 inches

HM Ships at anchor off Goodrington Naval Hospital, 1797

The essay “Medicina Nautica” written by Thomas Trotter, Physician to the Fleet, on the Diseases of Seamen and Health in His Majesty’s Fleet, published in 1797, covers most aspects over 3 years.  During 1782 many ships had epidemics of diseases, such as scurvy, catarrh (influenza as coined by the Italians) and typhus.

Virtually rendering many ships inactive, some ships had 200 men infected, the fleet was in danger of collapse. Ships were contained breeding grounds and needed places to treat infected sailors in isolation and clear the ships. Dr Thomas Trotter set up a naval hospital in a large house near the beach at Goodrington as one such facility and ships put into Torbay to clear of infected men and to smoke the ships with sulphur and scrub with vinegar (Fortitude was mentioned as requiring 160 men taking ashore). 

This prevented the overcrowding of the naval hospital at Dartmouth.  There was a graveyard at Goodrington that washed away in a storm next to the hospital and now there is a memorial stone in the park area.
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