Modern Day Knowledge Of Scurvy And Treatment

Life standed on the sea is very grueling and risky. Only a few are able to face the

In doc 1 it saids ”The ottomans took control over the sea trade route in the mid sixteenth century. People from europe were being frightened by the ottomans because of how much power they had”. Then christopher Columbus went to look for a trade route to india for resources but ended up in the caribbeans and died according to doc 4. But even though he died,

Moreover, Document D also puts forth that, “Besides the above-named evils, this misfortune I will mention was the worst, it was that the upper and lower gums of most of our men grew [swelled] so much that they could not, eat, and in this way so many suffered, that nineteen died.” (Document D) This further shows the unnecessary suffering that befell the crew. The crew had no sane motive to save their captain’s life, who oversaw their death. Magellan’s ill-preparedness and overly-harsh personality led to him starving the crew.

Imagine having swollen gums, tooth loss, fatigue, bruising, and exposure to new disease, only to die a few weeks after. With education, medicinal practices and accessibility to resources, the risk of scurvy proves less viable in our modern society. However, scurvy dominated the outbreaks and contributed to the onset of other pathogens during the Middle Ages and the Age of Sail. With over two million died during voyages, the disease impacted the ability to explore the world, the economy and ended up wiping out new colonies established from the Old World (Harthorne, 1). Caused by a lack of education, mundane conditions and diet, Scurvy became an epidemic between 1500 and 1800. Thus, scurvy ended up impacting the Columbian exchange and the role of history.

Lastly the third reason why Magellan led himself to his deathbed. Magellan’s navigational skills were poor. According to Over the Edge of the World, By Harper Collins “he regularly sent small scouting parties in the long boats”, “they would go and come back with news of the findings.. And the rest would follow” Gines de Mafra recalled. This evidence shows that Magellan had planned the way easily, but doing it was difficult. Magellan purely relied on his search parties to go throughout the way. You might argue that he still got through and reached the spice islands, but he reached there with just a handful of men in his Armada.

the sailors aboard the ships were dead, and those who were still alive were gravely ill. They were

Panic spread among people and tore families apart. Many sailors came down with the influenza and had to be quarantined at docks.

Thousands of men and women would bunk on a boat for up to almost a year. When traveling to California, the men and women on board had to live several months eating old and moldy food, this caused many to die or become ill. The unhealthy voyage was also very dangerous, they had to go through many storms, some could even lead to a ship sinking or a person getting thrown overboard. The author stated “ The trip around Cape Horn was a dangerous as well as unpleasant. Ferocious rains and freezing gales buffeted the vessels, pushing

With the inventions of more efficient ships and the perfection of navigational instruments, the Spanish (as well as England and France) gained a curiosity to explore and find a way to Asia by water and

Salt-water boils – red, angry, disfiguring – were a leprosy of the high seas, transmitted by the water that soaked me. Where they burst, my skin was especially sensitive; accidentally rubbing an open sore was so painful I would gasp and cry out. Naturally, these boils developed on the parts of my body that got the most wet and the most wear on the raft; that is, my backside. There were days when I could hardly find a position in which I could rest. Time and sunshine healed a sore, but the process was slow, and new boils appeared if I didn 't stay dry. (192)

Scurvy (a vitamin C deficiency) had plagued the world for multiple centuries until actions were finally taken in attempt to find an antidote. Scurvy is a disease which results from insufficient intake of vitamin C and leads to the spots on the skin, spongy gums and bleeding from almost all mucous membranes. Vitamin C deficiency and scurvy was hastened in the age of sail because of the rigorous working conditions for sailors. The diet of sailors during the age of sail was obviously the main factor in the plight of scurvy. As Vitamin C cannot be produced internally by humans, it must be ingested through the diet. By examining the history of vitamin C, one can fully appreciate the advances made in its research. Surprisingly, vitamin C’s importance

C, which made the sailors resistant to scurvy. On the other hand, the French sailors were given a

Scurvy is a nutritional disease that stems from a lack of Vitamin C. I chose this as my topic because I have always been interested in history and how historically on ships it was difficult to have fresh fruit aboard because they would spoil on long trips and instead they would have meats and foods that could be preserved with heavy amounts of salt. Scurvy was first documented as a disease by Hippocrates and was discovered by ancient Egyptians in 1550 but people would often forget eating Vitamin C is an effective cure for the disease. In the 13th century people often suffered from Scurvy. Eventually the explorers wizened up to this and the Portuguese planted fruit trees and vegetables that they could harvest on their way home from journeys

The Age of Discovery was fueled by molecules of the spice trade, but the lack of another molecule almost ended it. Over 90% of his crew didn’t survive Magellan’s circumnavigation due to scurvy, a disease caused by a deficiency of the ascorbic acid molecule, dietary vitamin C. Symptoms such as excessive bruising, muscle pain, loss of teeth, diarrhea, and many more horrible symptoms come from scurvy. One main symptoms is depression that happens at an early age, but mainly you were exhausted and had sores that did not heal. Scurvy is an ancient disease. Scurvy became a commonplace at sea due to the development of more efficient sets of sails and fully rigged ships as longer voyages were made. The access of fresh water as they were on their voyages meant that scurvy was seldom a major problem.

Scurvy is a disease that has been around since ancient times. Originally, there were many different ideas about what caused scurvy. Genetics, toxins, the environment, and infections were among many of the explanations for scurvy. Of all the people afflicted with scurvy, the most numerous were sailors. Surgeons and doctors out at sea with the sailors were among the first to be able to describe the disease in clinical detail and find a treatment that was effective in clearing up scurvy. Sir James Lind, a surgeon for the British Navy, has been credited with finding an easy way to treat scurvy; with lemons and oranges. While scurvy was extremely common while out at sea, cases still came about on land as well. The people most effected by scurvy on land were civil war soldiers, gold rushers in California, and Irish and English populations during the Great Potato Famine. Scientists discovered an antiscorbutic factor that citrus fruits and potatoes carried in 1931. This factor was