Dr. Stephen Maturin
Sick Bay of the HMS San Domingo, 1812
If you’ve ever wondered exactly what our dear Dr. Maturin’s domain was like, this illustration, drawn to scale and labeled, is an excellent place to start!
Dr. Stephen Maturin
Dr. Stephen Maturin
Science at Sea: What the Novels of Patrick O’Brian Can Teach Us
Sail ho! The cry is heard frequently as Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his ship’s surgeon, Dr Stephen Maturin, navigate the 19th century plotlines of Patrick O’Brian’s celebrated novels. But just as a […]
Actions and Skirmishes
The Ill-Fated Invasion of Ireland and Pellew’s Blockade of Brest, Dec. 1796
Given Stephen Maturin’s overwhelming hatred of Napoleon, it is sometimes easy to forget that in his youth he not only studied in France, but was a Republican and a fervent believer in the goals of […]
Dr. Stephen Maturin
Espionage During the Napoleonic Wars
*SPOILERS*
Dr. Stephen Maturin
An In-Depth Explanation of Medical Treatment in Aubrey’s Royal Navy
At the beginning of our beloved series, Dr. Stephen Maturin takes up his post aboard the Sophie without fully understanding just what he’s getting into. As a physician, he of course has a strong medical education and […]
Dr. Stephen Maturin
A Brief Introduction to Laudanum
“He checked me with my laudanum… Yet do I indeed obnubilate my mind? I rarely take a thousand drops, a trifle compared with your true opium-eater’s dose or with my own in Diana’s day: I […]
Dr. Stephen Maturin
The 26 Commandments of Irish Dueling
“Ideas upon matters of honour are altogether different in the two kingdoms. Before now I have given Englishmen provocation that would necessarily have called for a meeting in Ireland, with no result. We should call […]
Dr. Stephen Maturin
The Rising of the United Irishmen
“I cannot, by any possible energy of words, express to you the blundering, the delay, the murderous confusion and the stupidity of it all. It accomplished nothing; it delayed independence for a hundred years; it […]
Dr. Stephen Maturin
Medicine in Stephen Maturin’s Day
Our beloved Dr. Stephen Maturin is an anomaly in the Royal Navy, as he is a physician rather than a surgeon. Ship’s surgeons tended to be barely educated barbers who could pull out teeth and […]