Kidnapping, plundering, thunderstorms, and stolen treasure maps were all ailments that plagued sailors of the high seas, but perhaps none were as deadly as the dreaded scurvy. Initially believed to be caused by being away from solid ground for too long, scurvy had a reputation for hundreds of years as a sailors’ disease that slowly kills its victims on extended voyages. Symptoms include swollen gums, loose teeth, bone pain, and perhaps the scariest of all, re-opening of healed wounds. But the millennia-long battle between sailor and scurvy reached a tipping point when the British navy discovered a secret weapon: Lemons! (Metaflora answer #431).

This cure was discovered long before we understood that scurvy is caused by a vitamin C deficiency, or that lemons contain an abundance of vitamin C. In 1747, when Royal Navy surgeon's mate James Lind carried out one of the first clinical trials documented in medical history, we didn't even know what vitamin C was!

Lind tested a multitude of treatments on ill sailors, including cider, sea water, garlic, and oranges and lemons. By the end of the week of trials, only the men in the citrus group felt well enough to help take care of the others. Lind eventually published his findings in a treatise, and years later, lemon juice was ordered to be issued to sailors in the navy.

Why is scurvy so fatal? It turns out that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is necessary for collagen production, and without it, the protein cannot be replaced by the body, leading to tissue breakdown. Symptoms can appear within four weeks of vitamin C deficiency, and include fatigue, bleeding gums, slow wound healing, and heart problems. Sailors on long voyages often ate salted and preserved foods, with little to no fresh fruits or vegetables available, making them vulnerable to malnutrition.

Learn more: Science History, BBC News, USNI Proceedings, and ACS Landmarks.

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