Grog, sodomy, the lash!!
The malady of PTSD in all manifestations hardly NOT a modern phenomenon.
" (PTSD) Post traumatic stress disorder is a mental disorder that can develop after a person is exposed to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, or other threats on a person's life"
From a book review as seen at Jungle Trader.
"Off the Deep End: A History of Madness at Sea" by Nic Compton
"In the eighteenth century, the Royal Navy's own physician found that sailors were seven times more likely to suffer from severe mental illness than the general population."
"On the high seas, beyond the rule of law, away from any sight of land for weeks at a time — often living in overcrowded and confined spaces, where anything that goes wrong could be fatal — the incredible pressures on sailors were immense. The ever-present fear drove some men to faith in God and superstition — and drove others mad."
Poor food, the lack of same and long periods at sea without proper nutrition as contributing factors resulting in stress on the body and mind EVEN DURING PERIODS WITHOUT COMBAT for which amelioration was often not possible. Such a regimen over a long period of time often resulting in MADNESS!
Indeed, so loathsome to most was duty in the Royal Navy that the press gang was adopted as an institutional measure.
Additional danger the brutal, overbearing and even sadistic nature of the command structure making unsupportable and unrealistic demands on sailors that often [??] resulted in mutiny!! Come along there little fellow, you suit our purposes perfectly!
coolbert.