Scurvy

Being a shipmate was a highly sought after career in the 1700’s however more men died from sickness then from battle.  It wasn’t until voyages began increasing in length that the deaths from a mysterious disease became more prevalent.  A voyage with British Commodore George Anson went from around 2000 men to only 700.  The disease had distinct characteristics including horrible gum disease and tooth loss.  Some physicians tried to find the reason for the disease with some hypothesis’ being the heavy salt diet, bad air, to much sugar, and many more (Lamb, 2011).

Fruits and vegetables are a source of proper nutrition.
by Emerika, used under

People knew that once individuals reached the shore they were able to recover by eating wild celery, fruits, and palm oil.  No one knew how to stop the spread of this disease on the ship and individuals knew that once the symptoms came, the only way to cure it was by going ashore (Lamb, 2011).  This disease was what is now known as scurvy.

In 1753 James Lind published a book that cited proof of citrus’s benefit.  In this book, Lind discussed the results of his almost forced, and what has been cited as the first, scientific trial.  Lind split those who had scurvy on his boat into three different groups.  He then offered the first group a diet that consisted more of fruit, the second cider while the third group was offered a diet that consisted of other scurvy remedies.  When the first group improved rapidly Lind was praised for his discovery.  The second group also improved with the third group not improving at all.  This trial gave more proof to the idea that fruit and vegetables cure scurvy (Scurvy, 2003).

It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that the reason citrus helped came to light.  It wasn’t until the discovery of vitamins that scientists were able to pinpoint why a diet that is inclusive of fruits and vegetables helped cure scurvy.  Until people were education on the true reason for scurvy and the remedy, many individuals were given wrong advice or information.  Over many decades different doctors came up with more theories and while some mentioned that the use of citrus would help, they did not cite why adding citrus to the diet would help.  Final recognition came in the 1900’s; more then 150 years after Lind published his book on the benefits of citrus.  It was in this century that Axel Holst created a trial with chickens to test the theory of a deficiency.  It was in 1932 that scientists were able to isolate Vitamin C and discover the true reason behind the citruses’ benefit (Scurvy, 2003).

The truth is that scurvy took decades to cure even though it is the result of a dietary deficiency.  Today this discovery can help individuals as the discovery of deficiencies has helped cure numerous other diseases as well.  Today individuals in developed countries know the benefits of a healthy diet and vitamins.  This has shaped the food market, the health market, and how people think.  The method that Lind used to find the best cure is now used today in every trial as it incorporated the three variables.  In this way, scurvy and the finding of it’s cure were very revolutionary.  It was a discovery that took a while to find and there were doctors who did not believe in the benefit of citrus.  This hurt individuals who suffered from scurvy as they then suffered from the disease.  And even today, the ramifications of the revolutionary discovery are being felt as doctors continue to study nutrients and the best diet for humans.

Sources

Emerika. (2007, July 23). Fruits veggies. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fruits_veggies.png. Public domain image.

Lamb, J. (2011, February 17). Captain Cook and the Scourge of Scurvy. BBC News. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/captaincook_scurvy_01.shtml

Scurvy. (2003). In The Cambridge historical dictionary of disease. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.butler.edu/login?qurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Fcupdisease%2Fscurvy%2F0