Gerard von Swieten, The Diseases Incident to Armies, with the Method of Cure. ... Published, for the Use of Military, and Naval Surgeon [sic] in America (Philadelphia, 1776). Robert L. McNeil Americana Collection.

A prefatory note in this edition from “the American editor, to the public” explains that they chose to publish this work on military medicine in Philadelphia in 1776 so that it might help “in the preservation of the lives of many of those valuable citizens of America, who, as soldiers and sailors, are now contending for the mighty prize of FREEDOM.”

Jonathan Messersmith Foltz, The Endemic Influence of Evil Government, Illustrated in a View of the Climate, Topography, and Diseases, of the Island of Minorca (New York, 1843).

G.R.B. Horner, Diseases and Injuries of Seamen, with Remarks on Their Enlistment, Naval Hygiene, and the Duties of Medical Officers (Philadelphia, 1854).

James Folsom, The Mariner’s Medical Guide; Designed for the Use of Ships, Families, and Plantations (Boston, 1864). Gift of Charles E. Rosenberg.

Joseph Wilson, Naval Hygiene. Human Health and the Means of Preventing Disease, with Illustrative Incidents Principally Derived from Naval Experience (Philadelphia, 1879). Gift of Charles E. Rosenberg.

Naval medicine had to consider the challenges of extensive travel abroad, prompting some texts to offer detailed guidance on regional fruits and vegetables encountered during voyages—highlighting which were beneficial and which posed risks. One such example, shown here, is the soursop, which was noted as being particularly refreshing in warm climates.