SEASICKNESS OR MAL DE MER
July/August 2010 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 23 Number 4
Seasickness or Mal de Mer
Seasickness, historically known as mal de mer, is a form of motion sickness caused by the pitching and heaving motions of a boat on the high seas.
In Isaac Asimov’s 1963 book, The Human Body, he relates a marvelous anecdote that describes the effects of seasickness perfectly. A steward on a large sailing vessel was trying to cheerfully reassure the passengers that no one ever dies of seasickness, that they would all make it through. One of the passengers noted, “Please – it’s only the hope of dying that is keeping me alive.”
