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Title: Scary Scurvy at Sea Reading Passage Scurvy became prevalent when sailors began to spend months at sea without fresh vegetables, and in such cases it was usually fatal. In 1795, lime juice was issued to all British naval vessels on the recommendation of the Scottish physician James Lind, who knew that the Dutch had employed citrus fruits for several hundred years; scurvy soon began to disappear among British seamen. Oranges and lemons, higher in Vitamin C content than limes, have supplanted limes as anti-ascorbic agents. Lind wrote in his Treatise of the Scurvy: “On the 20th of May, 1747, I took twelve patients in the scurvy onboard the Salisbury at sea. Their cases were as similar as I could have them.” Thus began his description of his classic therapeutic experiment on sailors with the scurvy in which various, then proposed remedies, were tested as anti-ascorbic agents. His experiment provided clear evidence of the curative value of oranges and lemons and was also the first example of a controlled clinical nutrition study using human subjects. Today, it is understood that Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal growth and development. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is found in green peppers, citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, turnip greens and other greens, sweet and white potatoes, and cantaloupe. Most other fruits and vegetables contain some Vitamin C; fish and milk contain small amounts. Vitamin C promotes healthy teeth and gums, helps in the absorption of iron, aids in the maintenance of normal connective tissue, and promotes wound healing. It also helps the body’s immune system. It is important that Vitamin C be consumed every day since it is not a fat soluble vitamin, and cannot be stored for later use. It is water soluble, therefore it is excreted regularly by the body. |
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