Ships Nostalgia banner

Medico stories

17K views 97 replies 39 participants last post by  gw4xxf 
#1 ·
How about some juicy MEDICO stories?
I am sure our sparkies have many of those.
With yr permission I shall open the thread with one of mine.
Back in 1959 I was a Chief Officer aboard a Zim log-carrier en route from 4XO to 9LL to pick up a bunch of Kroo-boys for a Gulf of Guinea round trip. We had a sick crew-member aboard and the master told me at lunch he was going to ask Sparks to cable 6VA for medical advice. I went on watch at 16:00 to find the Old Man on the bridge, quite agitated. I asked him what medical advise did he receive.
"The idiot of a doctor prescribed acid acetyl salicyl - a medicine we do not stock. I cabled back telling him that requesting an alternative."
I burst into laugh. I told him it was Aspirin. Only the doctors reply convinced him I was right.
It made me think that doctor was indeed, in a way, an idiot . He knew he was corresponding with a cargo ship, not with a cruise vessel hosting an annual pharmacists convention.
 
#2 ·
#1 . Think 6VA was Dakar Radio - I'm glad my life didn't depend on getting a reply out of them!

One time, crossing the Australian Bight the 3d Mate who was the "doctor" on board came up to the radio room wanting to make a medical call to Adelaide. He described the ailment of a sailor on board and I said: "Sounds like a dose of clap to me." He proceeded with the call and eventually spoke to a nurse at an Adelaide hospital. He described the symptoms and she said: "Sounds like a dose of clap to me!" Yeeeah! I was made up. We were only a couple of days from port so she said he could just put up with it.

John T
 
#5 · (Edited)
I spent much of my career on Dive Support vessels. Unfortunately MEDICO was not qualified to deal with decompression or other sicknesses. We had an air diver on Pacific Installer who got into difficulties in only a few feet of water. It turned out to be carbon monoxide poisoning. The exhaust from the compressor on deck had been sucked in via the intake. The poor man died on board a few hours later.

We had a live SSB link to an expert dive doctor in Paris from our location off the Tunisian coast. The costs for the call came in a while later and was astronomical, at 3 plus hours duration.
 
#6 ·
Not my story, but that of one now deceased. As second mate, it fell to him to give injections when needed. The chief engineer was in need of such treatment (we need not discuss why), but was particularly nervous of needles. Also his trust in the second mate was less than it might have been for a fully qualified doctor or nurse and he was deeply embarrassed to expose his hind quarters to another man. Therefore he was unable to restrain himself from trying to fend off the approaching needle from his buttock with one hand.

The plan was to slap the buttock a few times and then apply the needle in sequence with the slaps. A well tried technique. However this would be impossible as both the second mate's hands would be occupied, one with the needle and the other restraining the interfering hand. An assistant would be needed to administer the slaps.

My friend was able to recruit the second steward for this duty. Apparently slapping the chief's buttock would be right up his street. In the event the homophobic chief was roaring, "Don't let that queer bastard near me. Hurry up with the injection." My friend told him, "It's already done."
 
#7 ·
At GKA we handled numerous Medico calls, connecting calls or relaying messages to the duty doctor at the RN Hospital at Haslar amongst other places. Whilst I am aware of many 'stories' with such calls I (personally) don't feel comfortable in relating details, many of which did not have happy outcomes.

If we took a Medico on W/T it was our duty to stay with the ship until the case was resolved - relaying messages to and from the ship to the hospital and vice versa and all details logged. And of course a Medico call would receive priority over all other commercial traffic.

Larry +
 
#9 ·
Off S African coast (in the days you could hug the coast line), engineer with "indigestion" again. OM had MF phone call to Durban Hospital at 8pm. QSA 1 QRK 1, static banging away like marbles in a dustbin. OM looks at me "what did he say".
I said (with fingers crossed behind my back) "Get him ashore ASAP.
Hour later RV with pilot boat but the J/E ashore.
Next morning got QTC, he had peritonitis !! He's OK.
Uncrossed fingers.
 
#15 ·
He described the ailment of a sailor on board and I said: "Sounds like a dose of clap to me." He proceeded with the call and eventually spoke to a nurse at an Adelaide hospital. He described the symptoms and she said: "Sounds like a dose of clap to me!" Yeeeah!

A little off course here, but 'a dose of the clap' reminds me of a very embarrassing moment.
We were at anchor in Havana harbour, I had damaged my thumb and was to be sent ashore to see a doctor.
Transport was arranged to get me ashore. There were 4 deck-hands going ashore too to see the doctor, and all four had been determined to have the clap.
Imagine how I felt when we were herded into the doctor's office and the amount of looks and giggling that went on among the female patients in the waiting room when the receptionist broadcast what we were there for. I'm sure she did!
When I was called to see the doctor, and told to drop my pants, I had a hard time convincing the non-English speaking doctor I was there about my thumb.
 
#16 ·
Leaving Havana after my first visit I was visited by our medical attendant (good geordie bloke) who enquired whether I was in need of a jag of penicillin, I said no thanks but why do you ask, his response was we have just run out and half the bermudian laundrymen will be in agony until we reach New York. No need for any radio messages just let them suffer but not in silence.
 
#17 ·
I think we all should take this opportunity to salute CIRM (Centro Internazionale Radio Medico) who was the pioneer of radio medical assistance and is still in service since in 1935.
As a master, in the 1960s, I used them several times (via IRM) and found them highly professional and effective. Their English was good as well.
 
#18 ·
The CIRM I know is the Comité International Radio-Maritime (CIRM). The 'non-profit' club of Radio Electronics companies. Whilst CIRM may be a non-profit it's members are not and I am suspicious that they are one main factor in supplier led 'innovations' such as AIS ("Look Mr. IMO, what we have cooked-up, this lets you look the other side of icebergs, if both of you have it switched on, will you make it compulsory please? Pretty please").
 
#19 ·
On the Post Champion heading south in the Pacific, we were about 2 or 3 days from New Zealand. About 5 pm the old man rings me in the radio room - they thought one of the elderly engine room greasers had taken a heart attack and could I get some help quickly. Fortuneatly it was just on quarter past 5, so waited until the silence period had ended then broadcast XXX, Auckland Radio ZLA came back immediately asking about the symptoms, after replying, it only seemed like a few minutes until he came back with advice. Luckily it all turned out well, seems the poor bloke had only choked on a lump of beef while having his tea. A full recovery was made.
 
#27 ·
Ian Robertson

In 1958 when I was a first trip Third Mate on the Helix we were bound for the UK from Curacao three days past the Sombrero Passage in the West Indies. I saw the Radio Officer go on watch at about 9 am, the radio room was behind the wheelhouse. We exchanged the usual pleasantries. An hour or so later there was pandemonium centred on the radio shack, I learned that the R/O had been found collapsed on the deck in his office by a steward. Fortunately the second steward (who was as camp as a row of tents) was a State Registered Nurse, he took charge and established that the R/O had suffered a prolapsed hernia. I had a look, it was the size of a big grapefruit. Under the direction of the Captain ice was gathered from all over the ship, not many fridges in those days, and packed around the hernia which eventually shrank and slipped back in. The next problem was in getting outside medical help, the radio receivers were switched on but we did not know how to switch on the transmitters. We had a wartime radio transmitter in the starboard lifeboat and the fourth mate who was good with Morse code set it up. He started transmitting a CQ call (to all ships). Immediately he was summoned to the radio room because somebody was heard calling us on the receivers. We quickly worked out that it was from us in the lifeboat. We were lucky that a Mobil tanker was within range and their R/O gave instructions to us as to switching on the M/F transmitter and we were able to speak to him by radio telephone. He contacted the Coast Guard at San Juan in Puerto Rico for medical advice and we retraced our course and put the Sparkie off in to the San Juan pilot boat five miles out to sea, we had no port charts and fortunately it was a flat calm day. When we resumed our voyage to the UK the Mobil tanker was able to stay in touch and relay telegrams to the Shell Company in London for us until we were within range of Portishead ourselves.
 
#56 ·
In 1958 when I was a first trip Third Mate on the Helix we were bound for the UK from Curacao three days past the Sombrero Passage in the West Indies. I saw the Radio Officer go on watch at about 9 am, the radio room was behind the wheelhouse. We exchanged the usual pleasantries. An hour or so later there was pandemonium centred on the radio shack, I learned that the R/O had been found collapsed on the deck in his office by a steward. Fortunately the second steward (who was as camp as a row of tents) was a State Registered Nurse, he took charge and established that the R/O had suffered a prolapsed hernia. I had a look, it was the size of a big grapefruit. Under the direction of the Captain ice was gathered from all over the ship, not many fridges in those days, and packed around the hernia which eventually shrank and slipped back in. The next problem was in getting outside medical help, the radio receivers were switched on but we did not know how to switch on the transmitters. We had a wartime radio transmitter in the starboard lifeboat and the fourth mate who was good with Morse code set it up. He started transmitting a CQ call (to all ships). Immediately he was summoned to the radio room because somebody was heard calling us on the receivers. We quickly worked out that it was from us in the lifeboat. We were lucky that a Mobil tanker was within range and their R/O gave instructions to us as to switching on the M/F transmitter and we were able to speak to him by radio telephone. He contacted the Coast Guard at San Juan in Puerto Rico for medical advice and we retraced our course and put the Sparkie off in to the San Juan pilot boat five miles out to sea, we had no port charts and fortunately it was a flat calm day. When we resumed our voyage to the UK the Mobil tanker was able to stay in touch and relay telegrams to the Shell Company in London for us until we were within range of Portishead ourselves.
An excelent and informative post.
Never heard of the RO out of action but not thought given to a "Plan B"
As Cadet I spent a week in the ER on one ship but not one min. in the Radio Room. You would think that some basic training could have been included in Signals exams!
 
#28 ·
In 1958 when I was a first trip Third Mate on the Helix we were bound for the UK from Curacao three days past the Sombrero Passage in the West Indies. I saw the Radio Officer go on watch at about 9 am, the radio room was behind the wheelhouse. We exchanged the usual pleasantries. An hour or so later there was pandemonium centred on the radio shack, I learned that the R/O had been found collapsed on the deck in his office by a steward. Fortunately the second steward (who was as camp as a row of tents) was a State Registered Nurse, he took charge and established that the R/O had suffered a prolapsed hernia. I had a look, it was the size of a big grapefruit. Under the direction of the Captain ice was gathered from all over the ship, not many fridges in those days, and packed around the hernia which eventually shrank and slipped back in. The next problem was in getting outside medical help, the radio receivers were switched on but we did not know how to switch on the transmitters. We had a wartime radio transmitter in the starboard lifeboat and the fourth mate who was good with Morse code set it up. He started transmitting a CQ call (to all ships). Immediately he was summoned to the radio room because somebody was heard calling us on the receivers. We quickly worked out that it was from us in the lifeboat. We were lucky that a Mobil tanker was within range and their R/O gave instructions to us as to switching on the M/F transmitter and we were able to speak to him by radio telephone. He contacted the Coast Guard at San Juan in Puerto Rico for medical advice and we retraced our course and put the Sparkie off in to the San Juan pilot boat five miles out to sea, we had no port charts and fortunately it was a flat calm day. When we resumed our voyage to the UK the Mobil tanker was able to stay in touch and relay telegrams to the Shell Company in London for us until we were within range of Portishead ourselves. Members here will remember that after this time there were instructions mandated to be placed on the main transmitter regarding setting the equipment up for use.
 
#33 ·
The current enactment covering this is the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006, It replaces previous repealed Acts with similar wording.
Section 48 (2): A person commits an offence under this section consisting in the disclosure of information only if the information disclosed by him is information that would not have come to his knowledge but for the use of wireless telegraphy apparatus by him or by another person
and 48(3): A person does not commit an offence under this section consisting in the disclosure of information if he discloses the information in the course of legal proceedings or for the purpose of a report of legal proceedings.

From this there is a clear inference that if the information so gained is common knowledge amongst those nearby or involved in any actions or reports, then the information would be 'in public domain' and not confidential. Unless it is a warship when Official Secrets Act would probably overrule.

For the 'anecdotes' etc recounted above that would seem to be best defence. Other's opinions may differ.
 
#37 ·
It has always puzzled me why there has never been a prosecution under the WTA for mobile phone hacking? Surely it would be more simple and certain than the methods that appear to be used to attempt to bring the members of "Her Majesties Press" to heel.
 
#38 ·
Quite true, here is Section 48 in full:

48Interception and disclosure of messages

(1)A person commits an offence if, [without lawful authority] —

(a)he uses wireless telegraphy apparatus with intent to obtain information as to the contents, sender or addressee of a message (whether sent by means of wireless telegraphy or not) of which neither he nor a person on whose behalf he is acting is an intended recipient, or

(b)he discloses information as to the contents, sender or addressee of such a message.

(2)A person commits an offence under this section consisting in the disclosure of information only if the information disclosed by him is information that would not have come to his knowledge but for the use of wireless telegraphy apparatus by him or by another person.

(3)A person does not commit an offence under this section consisting in the disclosure of information if he discloses the information in the course of legal proceedings or for the purpose of a report of legal proceedings.

[(3A)A person does not commit an offence under this section consisting in any conduct if the conduct—

(a)constitutes an offence under section 3(1) of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (offence of unlawful interception), or

(b)would do so in the absence of any lawful authority (within the meaning of section 6 of that Act).]

(4)A person who commits an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top