SEASICKNESS WON’T KILL YOU

Seasickness has afflicted sailors since time immemorial. It was well known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who were avid mariners on the Mediterranean Sea. In the early 6th century BC, the Greek philosopher Anacharsis said, “There are three human beings, the living, the dead and the seasick”. Around 400 BC, the Greek physician Hippocrates declared that “sailing on the sea proves that motion disorders the body”. The Roman statesman Cicero must have been disordered to a great degree for he “would rather kill myself than become seasick once more".

Since then, there have been many improvements in the design of ship stabilisation, and yet seasickness continues unabated among seafarers in the modern age. To understand why this malady afflicts some people dreadfully and others not at all, let’s consider the nature of the ailment, why it occurs and who is more prone to it than others. Once the enemy is known, steps can be identified to prevent, or at least minimise, its debilitating effects.

WHAT IS SEASICKNESS?

Motion sickness (kinetosis) is the state of being dizzy or nauseated when the body experiences or perceives motion. When this