A few months ago I was raving about the prospects of a maritime history of medicine, the ship’s medicine chest being the focus of some of my latest studies.

Since writing that piece, the Wellcome Trust and National Archives have completed the digitisation of the Royal Navy Medical Officers’ journals. The project, entitled Surgeons at Sea, allows budding maritime historians to view and search over 1000 records online, encompassing the years 1793 to 1880.

There’s a really diverse range of themes to be uncovered. For those interested in everything from shark bites to venereal disease (and, of course, that all-pervasive medical tonic: rum), I’d certainly recommend taking the time to browse.