[The "médecin de papier", myth or reality?]

"Le médecin de papier" can be defined as a little handbook regularly brought up to date, which gave and still gives the captains of merchant ships, fishing-boats or yachts, elementary rules in order to care for their crew in case there were or are no--sea going-- surgeons or doctors on board. Generally speaking, it could be divided into two parts. The first one was a sort of summary of the symptoms and of the treatments of the most frequent maritime diseases. The second one included a list of the medicinal products on board and their main characteristics as well as the way to use and administrate them. "Le médecin de papier" was created by the royal order of August the fourth 1819, as there were not enough surgeons applying for embarking due to the new academical organisation of the studies. So, this "médecin de papier" was given to the captains of the ships who according to the law, wen allowed not to embark--sea going--surgeons. Those vessels had a crew which could be between eight to nineteen men. The editions were on the increase in every French harbour and all through the years, according to the progress of the pharmaceutic science and of the therapeutics; it also depended on the good will and inspiration of the surgeons and chemists who were members of the committees checking on the medecine chests.