Editing James Lind (section)

===Fresh water from the sea===
In the 18th century ships took along water, cordial and milk in casks. According to the ''Regulations and Instructions relating to His Majesty's Service at Sea'', which had been published in 1733 by the Admiralty, sailors were entitled to a [[gallon]] of weak [[beer]] daily (5/6 of a British gallon, equivalent to the modern American gallon or slightly more than three and a half [[litre]]s). As the beer had been boiled in the [[brewing]] process, it was reasonably free from bacteria and lasted for months, unlike water. In the [[Mediterranean]], [[wine]] was also issued, often fortified with [[brandy]].{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beer on Board in the Age of Sail – Smithsonian Libraries and Archives / Unbound |url=https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2017/08/02/beer-board-age-sail/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |language=en-US}}</ref>

A [[frigate]] with 240 men, with stores for four months, carried more than one hundred tons of drinkable liquid. Water quality depended on its source, the condition of casks and for how long it had been kept. In normal times, sailors were not allowed to take any water away. When water was scarce, it was rationed and rain collected with spread sails. Fresh water was also obtained when possible ''en voyage'', but watering places were often marshy, and in the tropics infested with [[malaria]].{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

In 1759, Lind discovered that steam from heated salt water was fresh. He proposed to use [[solar energy]] for the distillation of water. But only when a new type of cooking stove was introduced in 1810 was production of fresh water by distillation possible on a useful scale.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}