Medical supplies that have been discovered on a French slave trading ship of the 18th century indicate a grim lifestyle on the wide, open sea.

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If the name Pirate Blackbeard sounds sort of familiar to you, it’s because he was the infamous star of the Disney movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides”, played by Ian McShane. Blackbeard’s wrecked flagship, “Queen Anne’s Revenge”,  was easily captured by the plunderer in 1717 because most of the native French, slave trading crew on board was sick and ailing.

After taking all valuable assets from the vessel, Blackbeard abandoned “Queen Anne’s Revenge” along the coast of North Carolina. Over 200 years later in 1996, the ship’s remains had been discovered. Archaeologists have been studying the artifacts ever since and have found items that lead the imagination to some painful, unhygienic happenings that may have taken place under dire circumstances on the ocean blue.

Among the items was an urethral syringe containing mercury used to treat syphilis, rectal clysters used to pump fluid into the rectum, and a porringer, an early 18th century device used to bleed sick patients.

Doprah No Filtah is a clinical research professional and health enthusiast.  She holds a Master of Science in Health Science from Touro University and a B.A. in Human Services from George Washington University.   When she’s not ensuring the quality of over-the-counter supplements at the Food and Drug Administration, she is off listening to some dope underground hip hop.  Follow her on Twitter @SNSNightlifeMag.