Scurvy is a disease that results from insufficient intake of vitamin C and leads to
the formation of livid spots on the skin, spongy gums and bleeding from almost all
mucous membranes. The spots are most abundant on the thighs and legs, and a person
with the ailment looks pale, feels depressed, and is partially immobilized. Scurvy
was at one time common among sailors whose ships were out to sea longer than
perishable fruits and vegetables could be stored and by soldiers who were similarly
separated from these foods for extended periods.
Symptoms include:
weakness
joint pain
black-and-blue marks on the skin
gum disease
corkscrew hairs
It takes about three months of vitamin C deprivation to begin inducing the symptoms
of scurvy. Untreated scurvy is always fatal, but since all that is required for full
recovery is the resumption of normal vitamin C intake, death by scurvy is rare in
modern times.
Scurvy was probably first observed as a disease by Hippocrates. In the 13th century
the Crusaders suffered from scurvy frequently, and it has inflicted terrible losses
on both besieged and besieger in times of war. Scurvy was one of the limiting factors
of marine travel, often killing large numbers of the passengers and crew on
long-distance voyages. It even played a significant role in World War I.
The plant known as "scurvy grass" acquired its name from the observation that it
cured scurvy, but this was of no great help to those who spent months at sea. The
discovery by James Lind in 1747 of treatment and prevention of scurvy by
supplementation of the diet with citrus fruit such as lemons and limes led eventually
to the discovery of vitamins, but for many years afterwards there was still much
ignorance about the cause of scurvy and lack of understanding about how to prevent
it. During sea voyages, is was discovered that sauerkraut was of use in preventing
scurvy. In the Royal Navy's Arctic expeditions in the 19th century, for example, it
was widely believed that scurvy was prevented by good hygiene on board ship, regular
exercise, and maintaining the morale of the crew, rather than by a diet of fresh
food, so that Navy expeditions continued to be plagued by scurvy even while fresh
meat was well-known as a practical antiscorbutic among civilian whalers and explorers
in the Arctic. At the time Robert Falcon Scott made his two expeditions to the
Antarctic in the early 20th century, the prevailing medical theory was that scurvy
was caused by "tainted" canned food. It was not until 1932 that the connection
between vitamin C and scurvy was established.
In modern society, scurvy is rarely present in adults. However, vitamin C is
destroyed by the process of pasteurization, so babies fed with bottled milk sometimes
suffer from scurvy if they are not provided with adequate vitamin supplements (breast
milk contains sufficient vitamin C to prevent scurvy on its own).
Scurvy is one of the accompanying diseases of malnutrition (other such micronutrient
deficiencies are Beriberi or Pellagra) and thus is still widespread in areas of the
world depending on external food aid. (See also the report from the WHO referenced
below.)
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