[The following is in regards to draconian measures taken against participants of failed mutinies among Dutch sailors in the 17th century.]
In these circumstances, it is not surprising that after 1615 the most common sentence for a rank-and-file mutineer was 200 lashes, enough to reduce a man’s back to pulp, kill many who endured it, and scar the rest for life. In Dutch service, mutineers were doused with seawater before their lashes were inflicted. This refinement ensured that salt was driven into the wounds, which acted as a crude antiseptic but redoubled the agony of the punishment.
Source:
Dash, Mike. “Terra Australis Incognia.” Batavia's Graveyard. Three Rivers Press, 2003. 120. Print.
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