[The use of wine in the Navy]

Wine and sometimes beer, cider or spirits, on board, represent an attractive pole with several aspects, for these drinks are, all the same considered as food, medicines, rewards or even reproofs when temporarily supressed. If naval hygienist doctors agree with the use of wine, their behaviour still remains ambiguous. Indeed, according to them, spirits are responsible for deep drunkeness as well as physical ans moral decays whereas they are more indulgent regarding wine. The reason might be that, in those times, the wine used as food, was also used as a medicine in therapeutics.