foucault's

I read in Michael Foucault's Madness and Civilization that a ship of fools referred to the practice of putting the local 'insanes' onto ships to help as crew people; supposedly, 'regular' people thought that the fools, shipmen, and the sea all had an affinity for each other. so, when a new ship would port in a town, people would come and have a chuckle at the expense of the kind 'fools.' so, the sea was an escape for these well-wishing souls from the cruel sea of humanity on the mainland. the excerpt comes from the intro, written by Jose Barchilon, m.d., of foucault's madness and civilization. on page vi:

The Annotated "Ship of Fools" Robert Hunter 1974