Reading by Karl-Heinz Reger: "Then he jumped overboard"

In the extensive socio-historical literature on maritime history, the question of how daily life on board was experienced psychologically and which psychiatric disorders occurred remains entirely unexplored. It can be assumed that many psychopathological abnormalities were present among the mostly young crew members of the sometimes almost completely closed system of the "ship." For the people on board, the ship was their "world." Karl-Heinz Reger systematically examines the medical reports of the British Royal Navy from the years 1830 to 1880: 1200 medical reports ("Medical Journals") compiled by surgeons or medical officers on Her Majesty's warships. Unlike on civilian ships, Royal Navy vessels always had ship's doctors on board. They were required to keep detailed records of their medical activities and the health of the crew. The dual approach of psychiatrist and historian enables Karl-Heinz Reger to vividly illustrate a wide range of phenomena.