Question

What is known as the medicine chest of the sea

Answer 1

The 'medicine chest of the sea' refers to the sea's rich resource of bioactive compounds that have medicinal properties and are used for creating new medications.

Step-by-step explanation:

The term 'medicine chest of the sea' refers to the vast array of bioactive compounds found in marine organisms that are used in the development of new medications. The sea has long been a source of curative substances, as illustrated by the work of Dioscorides, De Materia Medica, which has been translated over centuries. This ancient text discusses various salts with medicinal properties. Modern marine bioprospecting has discovered potent compounds in marine life that could lead to treatments for a myriad of diseases, mirroring the historical understanding of the ocean's role in health.

In the expanse of the marine environment, organisms have evolved unique chemicals to survive, leading to discoveries like antiviral and anticancer compounds, painkillers, and anti-inflammatories from coral reefs, sponges, and other marine species. From the extraction of salt from the shores of Salamis, as described in ancient texts, to today's advanced scientific research, the sea has continuously served as a rich resource for medical discoveries.

Answer 2

The legislation authorized Medicine Chest be carried on every American Flag vessel of more than 150 tons back in the 1700's, so long as it had a crew of ten or more. A loose network of marine hospitals, primarily in port cities, was established by Congress to care for disabled and sick American merchant seamen around 1798. Federal entities, namely, the Marine Hospital Service, the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service, and lastly the Public Health Service continued to give healthcare to merchant seamen until 1981. The Medical Aid at Sea and Ship's Medicine Chest has been a part of much of this maritime history.