What is scurvy?

Causes and Symptoms

Scurvy is a disease characterized by hemorrhages in body tissue, muscular pain, tender gums, physical exhaustion, and vision disorders, especially night blindness. In advanced cases, teeth fall out, and complications with kidney or intestinal functions may lead to death. The disease at one time was common among sailors who went on long ocean voyages where their diet did not include fruits and vegetables containing vitamin C.

Also, the populations of cities under siege and prisoners with very restricted diets often suffered from scurvy. During the American Civil War in the 1860s, scurvy was reported as a problem among the troops.

Treatment and Therapy

A causal connection between scurvy and a person’s diet had been suspected for a long time, but the particular missing nutrient was not known until the work of a Scottish physician, James Lind, in the 1750s. Lind experimented on six pairs of patients who had scurvy symptoms, giving them one of six different acidic diet supplements: vinegar, seawater, sulfuric acid solution, apple cider, garlic and mustard seed, or two oranges and a lemon. He found that the men who ate the citrus fruit improved rapidly, the ones who drank the cider recovered slowly, and the others showed no improvement. The British navy adopted a requirement for lemon juice aboard its ships in 1795, which virtually eliminated scurvy. Subsequently, lemons were replaced by limes, which led to the nickname Limeys for British sailors.

The essential nutrient in citrus fruits, now known as vitamin C, was first identified in 1932 by C. G. King and W. A. Waugh at the University of Pittsburgh. Its scientific name is ascorbic acid, which means “without scurvy.” Synthetic vitamin C is identical to the naturally occurring variety, in both its composition and its physiological effect. Vitamin C is essential for the formation and repair of collagen, which is a primary component of blood vessels. It is also necessary for the synthesis of hormones that control the rate of metabolism in the body.

Perspective and Prospects

During the nineteenth century, medical research by the so-called microbe hunters had firmly established that bacteria are the cause of numerous diseases that are transmitted from person to person. Some illnesses, however, were shown to be completely unrelated to bacteria but rather attributable to dietary deficiencies. Among these disorders are beriberi, rickets, anemia, and scurvy. They have been almost totally eradicated as people have learned that a healthy diet must include fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods, and vitamin supplements.

Bibliography

Consumer Guide, editors of. Complete Book of Vitamins and Minerals. Lincolnwood, Ill.: Publications International, 1996.

Kasper, Dennis L., et al., eds. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 18th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012.

Kohnle, Diana, and Daus Mahnke. "Scurvy." Health Library, Oct. 31, 2012.

Johnson, Larry E. "Vitamin C." Merck Manual Home Health Handbook, Feb. 2013.

“Medicine and Surgery, History: Nutrition.” In The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th ed. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2002.

Vorvick, Linda J., et al. "Scurvy." MedlinePlus, Jan. 22, 2013.