Danny_Labrador
Well-known member
I hope I never get into a situation where I have to choose but its either urine or sea water as I see it.
Here
What would your choice be?
Here
What would your choice be?
Australian yachtswoman found
- Thread starter Danny_Labrador
- Start date
ParaHandy
Active member
apparently (I think this is true) a suppository of sea water stuffed up yer backside works. the bowel is quite good at extracting the salt and feeding "fresh" water into the body. Surprised a Belgian lass wasn't aware of this or is it the french who favour this erm treatment ...
wooslehunter
Active member
Sea water enemas are not a good idea. This was proposed by a nurse who was ship wrecked with her family, The Robertsons in 1972. I'm not sure if they actually did use sea water but may have tried the unpallatable water they managed to collect in their damaged life-raft.
This seems like a good idea provided that the gut can absorb the water and reject the salt. There's no evidence of this.
Some research was done on the idea in 1942 and it was found to be a bad thing. In the tests, three volunteers were given a daily sea water enema of 1.5l while three more were used as a control and received no water at all. The three could not retain the water so the doses were changed to 4 dialy doses of 0.2l. Even then it took considerable effort to retain the water. The enema group were found to have significantly high salt concentrations in their blood. They produced far more urine than the control group and well in excess of the volume of water administered indicating dehydration.
I'm no expert on this but do have a great book called "Essentials of Sea Survival" written by two guys form the Institute of Naval Medicine. I'd recommend it.
So pushing sea water up the bum is not a good idea.
This seems like a good idea provided that the gut can absorb the water and reject the salt. There's no evidence of this.
Some research was done on the idea in 1942 and it was found to be a bad thing. In the tests, three volunteers were given a daily sea water enema of 1.5l while three more were used as a control and received no water at all. The three could not retain the water so the doses were changed to 4 dialy doses of 0.2l. Even then it took considerable effort to retain the water. The enema group were found to have significantly high salt concentrations in their blood. They produced far more urine than the control group and well in excess of the volume of water administered indicating dehydration.
I'm no expert on this but do have a great book called "Essentials of Sea Survival" written by two guys form the Institute of Naval Medicine. I'd recommend it.
So pushing sea water up the bum is not a good idea.
ParaHandy
Active member
well .. i think you're rubbishing my, much more modern I might say, research. Clearly, years of eating supermarket fodder & ofal, crisps and much junk food has increased the bum's tolerance to salt and i stand by my erm claim. its not merely come out of my erm backside ... shoyte, hole digging and deeper springs to mind here ...
Ifraser
New member
I also have that book...are you a sea survival instructor?? thats when I got mine. It also states that drinking urine shortens your survival time more than drinking nothing because of the salt balance. The only recomended use of an enema is for brackish water such as that collected from the outside of a salty liferaft in a rain shower....Iain
B
bob_tyler
Guest
The "Sea Water as an enema" worked for the Robertson family.
Full details are on show at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in the new Endurance and Survival Exhibition including their, very worn, GRP dinghy!
Full details are on show at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in the new Endurance and Survival Exhibition including their, very worn, GRP dinghy!
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Didn't Alain Bombard drink seawater on his voluntary 'without supplies' drift across the Atlantic?
Danny_Labrador
Well-known member
That’s the name I was trying to think of, what’s the real story there then? Is it really possible to survive on seawater?
Sgeir
Well-known member
You're obviously keen to run some fresh trials on a diverse and volunteer crew. A wonderful opportunity arises in the not-to-distant future. Enema trials, combined with a live demonstration of bulkhead rendering and marine plastering, could keep the other boats entertained.
Damn it! Just remembered, you're not going...........
Damn it! Just remembered, you're not going...........
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Wiki says:
Alain Bombard was born in Paris. He theorized that a human being could very well survive the trip across the ocean without provisions and decided to test his theory himself in order to save thousands of lives of people lost at sea.
On October 19, 1952 Bombard began his trip singlehanded from the Canary Islands heading across the Atlantic for the West Indies. He sailed in a Zodiac inflatable boat called l'Hérétique, which was only 4.5 meters long, taking only a sextant and almost no provisions.
Bombard survived by fishing with a self-made harpoon and harvesting the surface plankton with a small net. He also drank a limited amount of seawater every day. In the first days of the journey Bombard had to mend a torn sail and the humidity caused an uncomfortable itch.
In the 53rd day of the journey he encountered a ship. The crew told him that he was still over thousand kilometers short of his goal. However, after the ship's crew offered him a meal, Bombard decided to go on.
Bombard reached Barbados December 23, 1952 after 4400 km of travel. Bombard had lost 25 kg and was briefly hospitalized.
Alain Bombard was born in Paris. He theorized that a human being could very well survive the trip across the ocean without provisions and decided to test his theory himself in order to save thousands of lives of people lost at sea.
On October 19, 1952 Bombard began his trip singlehanded from the Canary Islands heading across the Atlantic for the West Indies. He sailed in a Zodiac inflatable boat called l'Hérétique, which was only 4.5 meters long, taking only a sextant and almost no provisions.
Bombard survived by fishing with a self-made harpoon and harvesting the surface plankton with a small net. He also drank a limited amount of seawater every day. In the first days of the journey Bombard had to mend a torn sail and the humidity caused an uncomfortable itch.
In the 53rd day of the journey he encountered a ship. The crew told him that he was still over thousand kilometers short of his goal. However, after the ship's crew offered him a meal, Bombard decided to go on.
Bombard reached Barbados December 23, 1952 after 4400 km of travel. Bombard had lost 25 kg and was briefly hospitalized.
Ifraser
New member
I haven't fully studied the robertson families story but I know the book refered to above is the main text for the R.Y.A. sea survival instructors definately quotes research and concludes that sea water enema's are bad....I know the Robertsons did it but I don't know how much water they collected from rain or fluid they got from fish / turtles...it is a bit confusing and I don't think there is a definitive answer all I know is that currently the advice is that sea water enemas along with urine drinking shorten life....I'm sure the debate will continue. Iain
RupertW
Well-known member
As is said above, the Robertsons didn't use sea water enemas, just brackish water which they couldn't quite drink.
One of the party refused enemas throughout and they all survived so it's not really a scientific test.
One of the party refused enemas throughout and they all survived so it's not really a scientific test.
LadyInBed
Well-known member
The foot pump in a life raft isn't there to blow the raft up /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
tcm
...
scientific , a bit?
but surely, if one refused and they all survived - there's the exception that proves the rule -or in this er doesn't: seawater enemas aren't vital for survival. Entertaining though, i suppose, on a boring liferaft. One more time! - "Ten green bottles with sponges up their bum, ten green bottles with sponges up their bum, etc etc ..."
but surely, if one refused and they all survived - there's the exception that proves the rule -or in this er doesn't: seawater enemas aren't vital for survival. Entertaining though, i suppose, on a boring liferaft. One more time! - "Ten green bottles with sponges up their bum, ten green bottles with sponges up their bum, etc etc ..."
arcot
Member
Osmosis from seawater to blood kills.
Toxic shock death.
You misunderstood.
Robertson used a mixture of turtle blood, urine, rainwater and salt water in bottom of dingy for the enema.
Source: Dougal Robertson'
s book.
bikedaft
Well-known member
The Robertsons used enemas to relieve constipation, not for fluid balance purposes.
Bombard did accept some help on the way over the Atlantic, even though, he did very well. His book was vague.
Essentials of Sea Survival by Tipton and Goldman is excellent...
Just noticed this is an 8 year old thread, resurrected!
Bombard did accept some help on the way over the Atlantic, even though, he did very well. His book was vague.
Essentials of Sea Survival by Tipton and Goldman is excellent...
Just noticed this is an 8 year old thread, resurrected!
Robih
Well-known member
18 year old thread!
LittleSister
Well-known member
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