What is scurvy?

“The Scourge of the Sea” When Europeans began sailing long distances, they ran into a problem much bigger than weather or natives: scurvy. Ships lost many men to the disease: –Vasco da Gama lost two thirds of his crew to the disease while making his way to India in In 1520 Magellan lost more than 80 per cent while crossing the Pacific.

William Bowles wrote in his poem The Spirit of Discovery (1804): Smile, glowing Health! For now no more the wasted seaman sinks, With haggard eye and feeble frame diseased; No more with tortured longings for the sight Of fields and hillocks green, madly he calls. (BBC website)

What was Bowles talking about? Men who were suffering from scurvy had terrible symptoms. As the disease advanced, their skin would turn black from bleeding under the skin and their teeth would fall out. They would crave land and the vegetation they could find there. Their senses would go wild, they would act very strange and emotional.

Quote from BBC website: …symptoms were vividly described by Richard Walter, the chaplain who wrote up the official account of the voyage. Here were descriptions of its ghastly traces: skin black as ink, ulcers, difficult respiration, rictus of the limbs, teeth falling out and, perhaps most revolting of all, a strange plethora of gum tissue sprouting out of the mouth, which immediately rotted and lent the victim's breath an abominable odour.

Quote from BBC website: There were strange sensory and psychological effects too. Scurvy seems to have disarmed the sensory inhibitors that keep taste, smell and hearing under control and stop us from feeling too much. When sufferers got hold of the fruit they had been craving they swallowed it (said Walter) 'with emotions of the most voluptuous luxury'. The sound of a gunshot was enough to kill a man in the last stages of scurvy, while the smell of blossoms from the shore could cause him to cry out in agony. This susceptibility of the senses was accompanied by a disposition to cry at the slightest disappointment

Symptoms Fatigue Pale skin Sunken eyes Tender gums Bleeding under the skin / rash Joint pain Muscle pain Loss of teeth Internal bleeding Opening of wounds that had been healed Exhaustion Fainting Diarrhea Lung & kidney failure Death

What causes scurvy? Vitamin C deficiency

How to prevent scurvy… Eat fresh fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C: –Fruits – citrus like oranges, lemons, limes are very good –Vegetables – broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, spinach, potatoes, green peppers

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