Battling Seasickness at Sea: How Early Steamship Passengers Coped with Motion Sickness

📌 Discover how early 20th-century steamship passengers dealt with seasickness, from dietary adjustments to commercial remedies. A valuable resource for genealogists, historians, and maritime enthusiasts studying transatlantic travel.

🌊 Conquering the Waves: The Causes and Cures of Seasickness on Steamships 🚢

📖 Understanding Seasickness and Its Impact on Ocean Travel

This historical article from Harper’s Guide to Paris and the Exposition of 1900 provides a fascinating look at seasickness, one of the most dreaded conditions faced by transatlantic passengers. While modern travelers have access to advanced motion sickness medications, early 20th-century voyagers relied on dietary discipline, exercise, and patent remedies like "Mothersill’s Seasick Remedy" to combat nausea and discomfort.

For teachers, students, historians, and genealogists, this article serves as an excellent resource for studying the realities of early ocean travel, from the physical hardships passengers faced to the technological advancements that sought to alleviate them. Understanding seasickness is crucial to comprehending what immigrants, leisure travelers, and steamship crews endured during long voyages across the Atlantic.

Eating on a shipboard is a constant temptation, as the salt air gives every healthy person an appetite. One of the principal causes of seasickness or physical discomfort during the voyage is the tendency among all passengers to overeat.

It would help if you remembered that you get minimal exercise on the shipboard. The combination of less exercise than you are accustomed to and a more significant amount of food is apt to add to what little tendency to seasickness everyone has when leaving the land and going upon a constantly moving ship.

You cannot avoid a day or two of seasickness at sea. Still, several ordinary precautions may be taken before sailing. These are clear to anyone who will think the matter over.

They consist in care in eating for a week or so before the voyage, in exercise, and a practical attempt to get the digestion in good condition. Once you have left port, avoid eating H6 much as you are accustomed to on land. Do not cat between meals and keep reasonable hours.

There is always a tendency to sleep in the sea air, and indulging in this as far as possible is well. However, each traveler should lay out a certain amount of exercise for himself, as the means of exercise are limited on shipboard and are confined practically to walking and playing some game adapted to the ship's deck.

Passengers on the Promenade Deck Taking In The Fresh Open Air on the Prinzessin Victoria Luise of the Hamburg-American Line, 1908. GGA Image ID # 1ffca4e4d3

It has become a custom for many persons to lay out a certain number of miles daily, which they will walk back and forth on the promenade deck. Such walking only amounts to a little if three or four, or perhaps five, miles a day are covered.

This may be done by measuring the promenade deck and determining how often you must walk the length. Some walking should be done regularly in the morning, some in the afternoon, and a little in the evening before retiring.

There have been recently some experiments with what are called bilge-keel boats. The bilge keel is a species of tin placed along the bilge on either side of the boat, and as the steamer rolls, these fins tend to counteract the movement from side to side.

Some steamships on different lines have been fitted up with these bilge keels. To a certain extent, the reports of many travelers testify to the greater stability of these boats. However, the best antidote for seasickness Is constant exercise on the open-air deck and a certain amount of temperance in eating.

Sears, J. H., Harper’s Guide to Paris and the Exposition of 1900: A Comprehensive Map and Guide to The City of Paris; A Complete Guide to The Exposition; French Phrases Translated; And Maps Diagrams, And Illustrations, London And New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1900: 29-30.

1911 Advertisement: Mothersill's Seasick Remedy Sure Cure | Sure Preventative. North German Lloyd Bulletin, October 1911. GGA Image ID # 1ffc54452b

MOTHERSILL'S, after the most thorough tests, is now officially adopted and recommended by practically all New York Steamship Companies running South, Great Lakes, and many Transatlantic Lines.

MOTHERSILL'S is always sold with a positive guarantee to give satisfaction.

MOTHERSILL'S is guaranteed not to contain cocaine, morphine, opium, chloral, or any of the coal-tar products and can be used by the most delicate without fear of unpleasant aftereffects to the heart, liver, or kidneys.

Mr. Mothersill gave a series of demonstrations of his remedy two years ago on the English Channel, Irish Sea, and Baltic, and received the unqualified endorsement of the leading papers of the world and has the finest testimonials from many of the world's greatest men, women and institutions and steamship companies.

Please write us for the booklet which will convince the most skeptical that 'Mothersill's" is all that it is represented to be.

MOTHERSILL'S is a powder put up in gelatin capsules. It is equally effective for train sickness—a 50-cent box is sufficient for 24 hours; a $1.00 box is adequate for the longest continuous journey.

If your druggist does not keep it, he can obtain it for you from any leading wholesale druggist, or you can write—
MOTHERSILL REMEDY CO., Ltd.
Detroit, Michigan 19 St. or Bride St., London, E. C.

🚢 Why This Topic Matters for Ocean Travel Research

📜 Genealogists: Understanding Your Ancestors' Transatlantic Experience

If your ancestors immigrated by steamship, their journey was not just about paperwork and ship manifests—it also involved the physical struggle of adapting to the unpredictable movement of the sea. Seasickness affected thousands of third-class and steerage passengers who were often crammed into tight, poorly ventilated spaces deep in the hull of the ship, making their suffering even worse.

📌 Key Takeaways for Genealogists:

✅ Dietary Adjustments – Passengers were advised to eat less food and avoid overeating before and during travel to prevent motion sickness.

✅ Exercise – Limited physical activity onboard, often just walking on the promenade deck, was recommended to combat nausea.

✅ Class Differences – Wealthier first-class passengers had access to better-ventilated cabins and open-air decks, while steerage passengers were more prone to seasickness due to cramped conditions below deck.

✅ Technological Efforts – Innovations like bilge keels (metal stabilizers) were introduced to reduce rolling and make travel smoother.

💡 Why it’s relevant:

✔️ Genealogists & family historians – Helps put your ancestors’ ocean journey into perspective by explaining the physical toll of long voyages.

✔️ Students researching immigration history – Provides a personal, human element to the hardships of immigration travel.

✔️ Archivists & historical researchers – Offers valuable insight into passenger conditions aboard early 20th-century steamships.

🏛️ Historians & Teachers: Exploring Maritime Travel Hardships

For teachers and history enthusiasts, this article brings to life the challenges faced by steamship passengers during the height of ocean travel. Unlike modern cruise ships, early 20th-century liners lacked the stabilizers and medical knowledge we take for granted today.

📌 Key Takeaways for Teaching Maritime History:

✅ Life at Sea – Passengers were advised to plan their meals carefully, sleep often, and limit movement to reduce nausea.

✅ Innovations in Ship Design – Steamships began using bilge keels to counteract the rocking motion of waves.

✅ Medical Understanding – Early remedies for seasickness were largely homeopathic, dietary, or involved mild sedatives.

💡 Why it’s relevant:

✔️ Teachers & students – Adds rich detail to lessons on maritime history & transatlantic travel 🚢.

✔️ Maritime historians – Explains the evolution of ship design & passenger accommodations 🏛️.

✔️ Writers & researchers – Perfect for historical fiction & documentaries on ocean liners 🎥.

🌍 Travelers & Ocean Enthusiasts: The Evolution of Comfort at Sea

For those passionate about maritime travel and cruise history, this article provides a glimpse into the past struggles of steamship passengers. Today, cruise ships boast state-of-the-art stabilizers, but in 1900, even the most luxurious liners had no guaranteed cure for seasickness.

📌 Key Takeaways for Travel Enthusiasts:

✅ Diet & Seasickness – Even in first-class accommodations, passengers were advised to eat sparingly to avoid nausea.

✅ Technological Fixes – Bilge keels were an early attempt to reduce ship motion, but effectiveness was debated.

✅ Early Remedies – Many travelers turned to commercial seasickness cures like "Mothersill’s Remedy", which promised relief without harmful ingredients.

💡 Why it’s relevant:

✔️ Cruise history buffs – Learn how early travelers coped with seasickness compared to modern ocean liners 🚢.

✔️ Maritime collectors & ship model builders – Discover the engineering improvements that made ocean travel smoother ⚙️.

✔️ Reenactors & museum professionals – Essential for creating authentic historical displays & lectures on early ocean voyages 🎭.

📸 Noteworthy Images & Their Significance

📷 "Passengers on the Promenade Deck Taking in the Fresh Open Air on the Prinzessin Victoria Luise, 1908"

🔹 This image captures passengers engaging in the recommended practice of getting fresh air to alleviate seasickness, a method still suggested today.

📷 "1911 Advertisement: Mothersill’s Seasick Remedy"

🔹 This historical ad reflects early medical marketing tactics, offering a guaranteed cure for motion sickness without coal-tar derivatives or narcotics.

🔎 Encouraging Research & Essay Writing Using GG Archives

📢 This is NOT a blog! Unlike modern websites that allow comments, GG Archives serves as an educational and research resource. Students, teachers, and historians are encouraged to use these materials when writing essays and conducting historical research.

🔎 Need sources for an essay? GG Archives offers primary-source maritime documents, passenger lists, and historical records! 📜🚢

🌊 Final Thoughts: A Must-Read for Those Studying Early Ocean Travel

This engaging and informative article goes beyond just defining seasickness—it provides a comprehensive look at how passengers, shipbuilders, and medical professionals tried to address one of ocean travel’s greatest discomforts. Whether you are researching ancestral immigration journeys, teaching maritime history, or exploring the evolution of ocean travel, this article offers a compelling perspective on the physical realities of long voyages.

📌 Who Should Use This Resource?

✔️ Teachers & students – A historical case study on travel hardships & ship innovations 📚

✔️ Genealogists – Provides insight into what ancestors experienced during transatlantic voyages 🧳

✔️ Historians & maritime buffs – Learn about early 20th-century passenger experiences ⚓

✔️ Writers & museum professionals – A perfect reference for historically accurate storytelling 🎭

🚢 💡 Dive into the history of steamship travel and learn how passengers conquered the waves! 🌊