TEMPERATE SEAMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 October 1932, Page 4

TEMPERATE SEAMEN

OLD TRADITION ERRONEOUS

The traditional belief that sailormen are an intemperate body of men is not supported by a. report of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on “Statistics Relating to Mortality in the Mercantile Marine,” issued recently. “It can hardly be concluded,” states the report, “that the seaman is particularly addicted to habits of intemperance, or that alcoholism is l excessively frequent as a cause of death.” All ages considered, “mortality due to this cause in the mercantile marine differs little, if at all. from that relating to ‘dock labourers’ and “all occupied and retired males.’

“In two out of seven age groups only is mortality higher among merchant. seamen than among those engaged in shore occupations.” Judged by the standard of a single year’s mortality envisaged by the report “it may be said that service in the .Mercantile Marin© is no more inimical to life and health than are many of the occupations ashore frequently regarded as healthful, indeed, in many instances it has been shown the advantage distinctly lies with the seaman.”

On the other hand, deaths due to drowning and injqry among British seamen afloat account for 31.93 and 16.97 per cent respectively of the total deaths due to all causes. In other words, in the aggregate these causes are fatal to more merchant seamen than are all diseases enumerated in the nomenclature.

The principal causes of brownings at sea are analysed. “Twice as many men needlessly lost their lives—firemen/ stewards, and sailors are the principal offenders—because of thoughtless indulgence in intoxicating liquors, as do men who, in an unfortunate moment, are swept overboard in heavy weather.”

Proportionately, all respiratory diseases exact the greatest toll of lives among firemen and stewards, while the proportion of deaths among deck officers appears to be little more than half that observable among any other of the ratings.

Within the respiratory group phthisis is responsible for a higher proportion of deaths among stewards and firemen, while bronchitis claims 111© majority of its victims among seamen and firemen. Cancer appears as a. cause of death more frequently among engineers" and firemen.

, Incidentally, the report notes that there seems a tendency on th© part of seamen to abandon their calling for a. variety ol reasons. "Some of them may soon tire of i| )( - Service, others may dislike the constant separation ircm their families; yet others become enfeebled or incapacitated by virtue c! tin l Service itself."