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scurvyScurvy results in the weakening of capillaries, which causes hemorrhages into the tissues, bleeding of the gums, loosening of the teeth, anemia, and general debility. In infants there is also interference with bone development. Severe phases of the disorder can result in death. Scurvy is treated with large doses of vitamin C. Modern methods of transporting and preserving foods have made a diet rich in vitamin C available everywhere throughout the year, and even infants' diets include orange juice. Vitamin C is also available in tablet or syrup form.
Scurvy was a serious problem in the past, when fresh fruits and vegetables were not available during the winter in many parts of the world. It was especially common among sailors in the days when only nonperishable foods could be stocked aboard ship. More than half the crew of Vasco da Gama died from scurvy on his first trip (1497–99) around the Cape of Good Hope. In 1747 the Scottish naval surgeon James Lind treated scurvy-ridden sailors with lemons and oranges and obtained dramatic cures. In 1795 the British navy began to distribute regular rations of lime juice during long sea voyages (hence the name limeys for British sailors), a measure that was largely successful in preventing scurvy. It was probably the first disease to be definitely associated with a dietary deficiency.
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- Lind, James
Lind, James, 1716–94, English naval surgeon. Considered the founder of naval hygiene in England, Lind observed on a ten-week cruise (1746) that 80 seamen of 350 came down with scurvy. In his T...
- Anson, George Anson, Baron
Anson, George Anson, Baron, 1697–1762, British admiral. In his famous voyage (1740–44) around the world, Anson, in spite of shipwrecks and scurvy, inflicted great damage on Spanish shipping an...
- Fox, Luke
Fox or Foxe, Luke, 1586–1635, English explorer. As a master mariner, he set forth in 1631 to hunt for the Northwest Passage. He explored the southern shore of Hudson Bay, satisfied himself tha...
- nosebleed
Nosebleed, nasal hemorrhage occurring as the result of local injury or disturbance. Most nosebleeds are not serious and occur when one of the small veins of the septum (the partition between t...
- watercress
Watercress, hardy perennial European herb (Nasturtium officinale) of the family Cruciferae (mustard family), widely naturalized in North America, found in or around water. Often cultivated com...
- hemorrhage
Hemorrhage, escape of blood from the circulation (arteries, veins, capillaries) to the internal or external tissues. The term is usually applied to a loss of blood that is copious enough to th...
- Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728–79, English explorer and navigator. The son of a Yorkshire agricultural laborer, he had little formal education. After an apprenticeship to a firm of shipowners at Whitby, he...
- lemon
Lemon, one of the citrus fruits, from a tree (Citrus limon) of the family Rutaceae (orange family), probably native to India. A small tree (to about 15 ft/5 m tall) with thorny branches and pu...
- lime, in botany
Lime, in botany, small shrublike tree (Citrus aurantifolia) of the family Rutaceae (rue family), one of the citrus fruit trees, similar to the lemon but more spreading and irregular in growth....
- Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony, settlement made by the Pilgrims on the coast of Massachusetts in 1620. Previous attempts at colonization in America (1606, 1607–8) by the Plymouth Company, chartered in 1606 a...
