Why is Scurvy Making a Comeback? Part 1

Dr. Jonathan Lamb, author of “Scurvy: The Disease of Discovery,” does a deep-dive on the history of scurvy. Contrary to what we learned in school, it wasn’t “cured” by Sir James Lind in the 1700s after he began advising the British Navy to stock citrus fruit for long voyages (hence the origin of the term “Limeys”). It took years before nutritional science characterized ascorbic acid in the 1930s. It’s estimated that the death toll of scurvy exceeds that of US Civil War. What does vitamin C do in the body? Why are humans among the few species who can’t synthesize it and must obtain it from outside sources? What are the symptoms of scurvy? How is scurvy reflected in literature, from “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge to “1984” by George Orwell? Why is scurvy making a comeback in the 21st Century? Why might the body require more vitamin C when under stress? Could there be a rationale for high-dose oral or even intravenous vitamin C? Click HERE for part 2.