Scurvy

Ascorbic Acid

     The Age of Discovery almost reached its end due to a lack of ascorbic acid. The lack of vitamin C causes scurvy- an ancient disease with symptoms that include exhaustion, swelling of arms/legs, diarrhea, bruising, foul breath, and many others. Depression is also a symptom and appears at an early stage, but it's unknown whether it is a result of the disease or a reaction to the other symptoms. Scurvy became common at sea during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, when ship advancements (such as more efficient sales) were made. Due to the long, overseas voyages, sailors relied heavily on preserved foods. The crowded conditions on the ships mixed with the large number of men in the crew led to increased illness while out at sea. Respiratory conditions and infectious diseases were common.
     The food the sailors were eating did nothing to help with the disease issue. It was very difficult to keep food dry and mold-free aboard the wooden ships, and due to poor ventilation, the inside of the ships were very humid. A typical meal for sailors included salted beef or pork, and hardtack. Hardtack was used as a bread substitute, because it was fairly resistant to mildew. It was a mixture of flour and water without salt, and it was baked to such a hardness that it was very difficult to bite into, but it would remain edible for years. There was also a major fear of having a fire. Since the ships were made of wood, it was very difficult to have a fire. The only time fire was allowed was in calm weather, and it had to be in the galley. If the weather got rough, fires were extinguished until the storm passed. Due to these extreme requirements, sailors weren't often able to cook their food. Items such as butter, beer, bread, vinegar, dried peas, and cheese were often brought on board for the journey, but they quickly went bad. They also didn't provide vitamin C, so it could be easy to see scurvy in a short period of time.
     Remedies for scurvy were known at the time, but they were largely ignored. The Chinese grew fresh ginger on their ships as early as the fifth century. Many other countries in southeast Asia knew that fresh fruits and vegetables could help with the symptoms of scurvy, In 1601, a small fleet of four ships under the command of Captain James Lancaster collected oranges and lemons from Madagascar. Lancaster carried bottled lemon juice on his ship, and anyone with signs of scurvy was given three teaspoons of the lemon juice every morning. Upon arrival, none of the men on Lancaster's ship had scurvy, but the tolls on the other three ships were high. A quarter of the men in the entire fleet died from scurvy, but none of them were from Lancaster's ship. In 1747, Scottish naval surgeon James Lind performed an experiment on twelve crew members who had scurvy. He gave them each the same diet, but different supplements- each pair received either cider, vinegar, sulfuric acid, sea water, a mixture including nutmeg and mustard seed (as well as garlic, cream of tartar, gum myrrh, and barley water), or lemons and oranges. The results of the experiment showed that the orange and lemon provided the fastest cure. James Cook from the British Royal Navy was the first captain to make sure his crew was scurvy-free. He was very adamant about having good diet and hygiene. He can be associated with discovering antiscorbutics, but his high standards of health and cleanliness kept a low mortality rate among his crew. He was awarded the Copley gold medal for showing that scurvy can be prevented while out at sea. Cook never lost a man to scurvy.