PERRY (Surgeon William).
ALS to Mr Best placing an order for wine.
SURGEON ON COOK'S FIRST VOYAGE
A rare letter from a member of Cook’s crew.
Perry was only twenty when he sailed on Cook’s first voyage as surgeon’s mate and, following the death of Munkhouse at Batavia, succeeded him. Beaglehole credits him as being hardworking, conscientious and systematic. He produced a valuable report on the health of the ship and scurvy, detailed coverage of which can be found in Snell’s “Captain Cook’s surgeons”. He doubtless made a contribution to Cook’s theory of eradicating scurvy via cabbage and maltwort, which proved so successful on his second voyage. Perry also served with Cook on the Scorpion in 1771 just prior to the departure of the second voyage. He was later on the Dispatch, Salibury and *Superb.
Here Perry places a long and detailed order for wine, displaying a marked interest in port, sherry and Constantia, a South African dessert wine.
Beaglehole, J.C. ed; Voyage of the Endeavour 1768-71 and Snell, W.E.; “Captain Cook’s surgeons” in Medical History, vii, 1963, p46.
