Scurvy, a disease caused by lack of vitamin C, sickened sailors who had no access to fresh food supplies, and killed more than 2 million sailors between the 16th and 18th centuries alone.
1/10/2022
Recommended Content:
| Nutritional Fitness | Our History
Scurvy was the scourge of sailors for thousands of years. An estimated 2 million sailors died of the disease between the 16th and 18th centuries alone, often decimating entire ship crews.
Scurvy is a dietary deficiency caused by a lack of vitamin C. The body does not naturally make vitamin C, so it has to come from foods rich in the vitamin such as citrus or from dietary supplements. Before modern refrigeration, sailors on long voyages relied mostly on salted or nonperishable food and had no regular access to fresh green vegetables or fruits that contain the vitamin.
The symptoms of scurvy are dramatic and terrible. In his 1820 textbook on nautical medicine, Navy surgeon Usher Parsons unflinchingly described the signs:
- "The gums become soft, livid and swollen, are apt to bleed from the slightest cause, and separate from the teeth, leaving them loose.
- About the same time the legs swell, are glossy, and soon exhibit foul ulcers.
- The same appearances follow, on other depending parts of the body.
- At first the ulcers resemble black blisters which spread and discharge a dark colored matter. These ulcers increase.
- Emaciation ensues.
- Bleeding occurs at the nose and mouth.
- All the evacuations from the body become intolerably fetid.
- Death closes the scene."
British 'Limeys' and the Cure for Scurvy
The U.S. Navy continued to struggle with scurvy into the 19th century even though the Royal Navy cracked the mystery of the disease in the 18th century thanks to surgeon James Lind. The British began storing citrus fruits on board all of its ships. The British Navy gave its sailors limes or lemon juice rations to ward off scurvy – earning them the nickname of "Limeys" among the American sailors who didn't know about or believe in the preventative treatment.
In his article on the history of scurvy in the U.S. Navy, naval medical historian André Sobocinski, wrote: "In 1809, Dr. William Paul Crillon Barton, a young Philadelphia-born Navy surgeon, took on the fight against scurvy while aboard USS United States, then under the command of Commodore Stephen Decatur. Turning to the medical literature out of Great Britain, Barton administered a citrus concoction to the most severely affected crewmembers and curing them of their symptoms."
Over the ensuing years Barton was the leading figure in the fight against scurvy. He lobbied the Secretary of the Navy and ship captains with what he described as a "clarified lemon-lime ration."
Despite Barton's success, "the decision to adopt vitamin C-rich rations would remain in the hands of individual fleet commanders, ship captains, and their consulting surgeons for well into the nineteenth century. And even if a ship did take necessary preventive measures against scurvy, long deployments could exhaust shipboard provisions leading to a host of nutritional diseases like scurvy," Sobocinski wrote.
The Navy Today
Scurvy, of course, is not a problem for today's Navy.
Jennifer Person, program manager and dietitian for the Navy Food Service, said there are many items on Navy menus to prevent the disease. For example, she said:
- Food service personnel are encouraged to provide 2.5 cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit daily to service members.
- Foods containing vitamin C are abundant.
- Navy menus include a combination of fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables.
- Vegetables and fruits offered include oranges, red peppers, kiwi, strawberries, broccoli, cantaloupe, tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kale, lemons, and grapefruit juice.
- Many more vitamin C options are available in a wide range of flavors that make it easy for sailors with different preferences to get their daily requirement.
"Leaders across the DOD recognize the importance of fueling our service members for performance with quality foods," Person said. "Galley menus are written according to DOD Menu Standards for Human Performance Optimization that ensure an array of foods are provided daily."
Scurvy Hasn't Gone Away Altogether
Today, scurvy still occurs in developed countries despite the widespread availability of multiple enriched and fortified foods.
According to the National Institutes of Health, those most at risk for scurvy are:
- living alone
- institutionalized with diets devoid of fresh fruits and vegetables
- missing teeth or toothless
- showing poor self-care
- lacking social support
- displaying destructive behaviors such alcoholism, drug abuse, or smoking
- mentally or chronically ill
You also may be interested in...
Page 1 of 49, showing items 1 - 15
Video
Jul 17, 2024DHA: Anytime Anywhere Always
Defense Health Agency promo/sizzle video
Article Around MHS
Jul 10, 2024Uniformed Services University Enlisted to Physician Program Celebrates 10 Year Milestone
Ten years ago, Joseph Merfeld, an enlisted U.S. Air Force staff sergeant and manpower analyst at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, was moving his family’s belongings from base housing into a home off base when he noticed his boss walking across the street towards him.
Article Around MHS
Jul 9, 2024Cherry Point Clinic Celebrates 56 Years of Keeping the Warfighter in the Fight
The first week of July 2024, sailors and staff of the Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point celebrated 56 years of the clinic’s role in the readiness of Marines serving in eastern North Carolina and the wellness of their families and nearby communities.
Article Around MHS
Jul 8, 2024Celebrating 75 Years of the Air Force Medical Service
On July 1, 2024, the Air Force Medical Service celebrated its 75th anniversary, marking a significant milestone in its long history of providing medical support to the U.S. Air Force. Established in 1949, the AFMS has played a crucial role in ensuring the health and readiness of airmen and Guardians, evolving through the decades to operate in dynamic ...
Article Around MHS
Jul 3, 2024An Undersea Medical Officer's Tale From the Silent Service
Beneath the waves, where steel behemoths patrol in near-total isolation, submarine health is critical. The health of the crew is paramount, but unlike a surface ship, even minor emergencies cannot lead to medical evacuation.
Article Around MHS
Jun 27, 2024Corpsmen, the Cutting Edge of Navy Medicine, Celebrate 126 Years
The 126th birthday of the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps was celebrated with great pride and tradition at the Defense Health Headquarters on June 17. The ceremony, attended by distinguished guests and personnel, honored hospital corpsman's rich legacy and invaluable contributions to the United States Navy and beyond.
Article Around MHS
Jun 26, 2024U.S. Army Reserves Surgical Team Soldiers Assist Chadian Medical Partners with Depot Explosion Triage
On June 19, while conducting a medical readiness exercise at the Garnison Military Hospital in N’Djamena two U.S. Army Reserves Soldiers assisted three Chadian citizens injured from an ammunition depot explosion on June 18.
Article Around MHS
Jun 17, 2024Making History and Honoring Heritage – New Medical Center Commander/Director Hopes to Inspire
United States Navy Captain Anja Dabelić makes history at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune as the first woman to lead the Medical Center since its establishment as a haven for care some 80 years ago.
Article Around MHS
Jun 13, 2024Pittsburgh, Pediatrics, and the People: Retiring AF-SG Shares Story, Leadership Ethos, and Personal Growth
When Lt. Gen. Robert Miller became the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General in 2021, he committed to building and nurturing personal connections within the Air Force Medical Service.
Article Around MHS
Jun 11, 2024Stories of Valor and Sacrifice: Navy Medical Heroes at Midway
The Battle of Midway stands as a pivotal moment in World War II, a turning point that decisively shifted the balance of power in the Pacific. For the Navy, June 4, 1942, remains a sacred date, one that not only celebrates a historic victory but also encourages us to look back on the tremendous courage and sacrifice of all who served. This includes the ...
Article Around MHS
Jun 7, 2024Transform One Transform Many: Lifestyle and Performance Medicine Leaves Lasting Impact
U.S. Air Force medical personnel are integrating lifestyle intervention into practice and transforming their patients’ lives since the Air Force Medical Service endorsed lifestyle and performance medicine in 2021.
Video
Jun 5, 2024D-Day Medic Waverly B. Woodson, Jr.
World War II medic Waverly B. Woodson, Jr. was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest U.S. military honor, for saving countless lives during the Allied Invasion of Normandy of World War II. Waverly was only 21-years-old, serving in the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, when he was deployed to France. He spent over 30 ...
Article
Jun 4, 2024D-Day Medics: Heroes Who Treated the Wounded
D-Day medics and physicians on the beaches and behind enemy lines saved countless lives on June 6, 1944, mostly with few medical supplies.
Article
Jun 4, 2024The Heroic Nurses of D-Day: ‘I Could Not Sit Idly By’
U.S. Army Corps nurses played a pivotal role in the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, the largest sea, air, and land invasion in history. Eighty years ago, the allied forces, including nearly 160,000 American, British, and Canadian service members, landed on the beaches at Normandy and began pushing inland. Nurses were deployed soon ...
Article
Jun 4, 2024D-Day Medic Waverly Woodson Saved Lives at Normandy Beach; Awarded Distinguished Service Cross
An unarmed medic’s courageous actions on D-Day—helped save the lives of hundreds of soldiers.
Page 1 of 49, showing items 1 - 15