Editing Scurvy (section)

=== Early modern era ===
In the 13th century [[Crusades|Crusaders]] developed scurvy.<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1                = Hess
 |first1               = Alfred
 |author-link1         = Alfred Fabian Hess
 |date                 = 31 December 2016
 |orig-date            = 1920
 |title                = Scurvy Past and Present
 |url                  = https://books.google.com/books?id=zT85MQAACAAJ
 |publisher            = CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
 |isbn                 = 9781540659040
 |access-date          = 15 March 2024
 |quote                = An interesting early description of scurvy, and one which is quite convincing, is that of de Joinville, who accompanied the Crusaders in their invasion of Egypt under St. Lewis, about the middle of the thirteenth century. [...] It is probable that scurvy existed in the northern parts of Europe and Asia ever since they were settled by man.
}} 
</ref> In the 1497 expedition of [[Vasco da Gama]], the curative effects of citrus fruit were already observed<ref name="ceg" /><ref>As they sailed farther up the east coast of Africa, they met local traders, who traded them fresh oranges. Within 6 days of eating the oranges, da Gama's crew recovered fully and he noted, "It pleased God in his mercy that ... all our sick recovered their health for the air of the place is very good." [http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/108/4/e76.full Infantile Scurvy: A Historical Perspective] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150904021206/http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/108/4/e76.full |date= 4 September 2015 }}, Kumaravel Rajakumar, MD</ref> and were confirmed by [[Pedro Álvares Cabral]] and his crew in 1507.<ref>"Relação do Piloto Anônimo", narrativa publicada em 1507 sobre a viagem de Pedro Álvares Cabral às Índias, indicava que os "refrescos" oferecidos aos portugueses pelo rei de Melinde eram o remédio eficaz contra a doença (Nava, 2004). [http://periodicos.ses.sp.bvs.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1809-76342010000200007&lng=pt&nrm=iso. A medicina nas caravelas - Século XV] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150904021206/http://periodicos.ses.sp.bvs.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1809-76342010000200007&lng=pt&nrm=iso. |date= 4 September 2015 }}, Cristina B. F. M. Gurgel I; Rachel Lewinsohn II, ''Marujos, Alimentação e Higiene a Bordo''</ref>

The Portuguese planted fruit trees and vegetables on [[Saint Helena]], a stopping point for homebound voyages from Asia, and left their sick who had scurvy and other ailments to be taken home by the next ship if they recovered.<ref>On returning, Lopes' ship had left him on St Helena, where with admirable sagacity and industry he planted vegetables and nurseries with which passing ships were marvellously sustained. [...] There were 'wild groves' of oranges, lemons, and other fruits that ripened all the year round, large pomegranates and figs. [http://ler.letras.up.pt/uploads/ficheiros/4999.pdf Santa Helena, A Forgotten Portuguese Discovery] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110529065201/http://ler.letras.up.pt/uploads/ficheiros/4999.pdf |date= 29 May 2011 }}, Harold Livermore – Estudos em Homenagem a Luis Antonio de Oliveira Ramos, Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto, 2004, p. 630-631</ref> In 1500, one of the pilots of [[Pedro Álvares Cabral|Cabral]]'s fleet bound for India noted that in [[Malindi]], its king offered the expedition fresh supplies such as lambs, chickens, and ducks, along with lemons and oranges, due to which "some of our ill were cured of scurvy".<ref>''Logo que chegámos mandou-nos El Rey visitar e ao mesmo tempo um refresco de carneiros, galinhas, patos, limões e laranjas, as melhores que há no mundo, e com ellas sararam de escorbuto alguns doentes que tinhamos connosco'' in Portuguese, in ''Pedro Álvares Cabral'', Metzer Leone Editorial Aster, Lisbon, p.244</ref><ref>Germano de Sousa (2013) ''História da Medicina Portuguesa Durante a Expansão'', Círculo de Leitores, Lisbon, p.129</ref>

These travel accounts did not prevent further maritime tragedies caused by scurvy, partly because of the lack of communication between travelers and those responsible for their health, and because fruits and vegetables could not be kept for long on ships.<ref>Contudo, tais narrativas não impediram que novas tragédias causadas pelo escorbuto assolassem os navegantes, seja pela falta de comunicação entre os viajantes e responsáveis pela sua saúde, ou pela impossibilidade de se disponibilizar de frutas frescas durante as travessias marítimas. [http://periodicos.ses.sp.bvs.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1809-76342010000200007&lng=pt&nrm=iso. A medicina nas caravelas - Século XV] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150904021206/http://periodicos.ses.sp.bvs.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1809-76342010000200007&lng=pt&nrm=iso. |date=4 September 2015 }}, Cristina B. F. M. Gurgel I; Rachel Lewinsohn II, ''Marujos, Alimentação e Higiene a Bordo''</ref>

In 1536, the French explorer [[Jacques Cartier]], while exploring the [[Saint Lawrence River|St. Lawrence River]], used the local [[St. Lawrence Iroquoians]]' knowledge to save his men dying of scurvy. He boiled the needles of the [[aneda]] tree (generally believed to have been [[eastern white cedar]]) to make a tea that was later shown to contain 50&nbsp;mg of vitamin C per 100&nbsp;grams.<ref>[http://www3.sympatico.ca/goweezer/canada/z00cartier3.htm Jacques Cartier's Second Voyage] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070212063742/http://www3.sympatico.ca/goweezer/canada/z00cartier3.htm |date= 12 February 2007 }}, 1535 Winter & Scurvy.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author= Martini E |title= Jacques Cartier witnesses a treatment for scurvy |journal= Vesalius |volume = 8 |issue = 1 |pages = 2–6 |year = 2002 |pmid = 12422875 }}</ref> Such treatments were not available aboard ship, where the disease was most common.  Later, possibly inspired by this incident, several European countries experimented with preparations of various conifers, such as [[spruce beer]], as cures for scurvy.<ref Name="Guertin et al 2018">{{cite journal|last1=  Durzan |first1 = Don J. |date= 2009 |title = Arginine, scurvy and Cartier's "tree of life" |journal = Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |volume = 5 |page = 5 |doi= 10.1186/1746-4269-5-5 |pmid=19187550 |pmc=2647905 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

In 1579, the Spanish friar and physician [[Agustín Farfán|Agustin Farfán]] published a book ''Tractado breve de anathomía y chirugía, y de algunas enfermedades que más comúnmente suelen haver en esta Nueva España'' in which he recommended oranges and lemons for scurvy, a remedy that was already known in the Spanish navy.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://abcblogs.abc.es/espejo-de-navegantes/2018/02/27/el-descubrimiento-espanol-de-la-cura-del-escorbuto//| title= El descubrimiento español de la cura del escorbuto| date= 2018-02-27| access-date=2018-02-27| archive-date=2018-02-28| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180228041646/http://abcblogs.abc.es/espejo-de-navegantes/2018/02/27/el-descubrimiento-espanol-de-la-cura-del-escorbuto//| url-status= live}}</ref>

In February 1601, Captain [[James Lancaster]], while commanding the first English [[East India Company]] fleet ''en route'' to [[Sumatra]], landed on the northern coast of Madagascar specifically to obtain lemons and oranges for his crew to stop scurvy.<ref>{{cite book|last1= Brown|first1= Mervyn|title= A history of Madagascar|page= 34}}</ref> Captain Lancaster conducted an experiment using four ships under his command. One ship's crew received routine doses of lemon juice while the other three did not receive such treatment. As a result, members of the non-treated ships started to contract scurvy, with many dying as a result.<ref>{{cite book|last1= Rogers|first1= Everett|title= Diffusion of Innovations|page=7}}</ref>

Researchers have estimated that during the [[Age of Exploration]] (between 1500 and 1800), scurvy killed at least two million [[sailor]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last= Drymon | first = M. M. | title = Disguised As the Devil: How Lyme Disease Created Witches and Changed History | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=w-x8LwQ2ZeYC&pg=PA114 | publisher = Wythe Avenue Press | year = 2008 | page = 114 | isbn = 978-0-615-20061-3 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160515224840/https://books.google.com/books?id=w-x8LwQ2ZeYC&pg=PA114&dq | archive-date = 15 May 2016 }}
</ref><ref name="Distillations" /> Jonathan Lamb wrote: "In 1499, Vasco da Gama lost 116 of his crew of 170; In 1520, Magellan lost 208 out of 230;&nbsp;... all mainly to scurvy."<ref>{{Cite book | last = Lamb | first = Jonathan | title = Preserving the self in the south seas, 1680–1840 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hSoj1DR4ZSMC&pg=PA117 | publisher = University of Chicago Press | year = 2001 | page = 117 | isbn = 978-0-226-46849-5 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160624044737/https://books.google.com/books?id=hSoj1DR4ZSMC&pg=PA117&dq | archive-date = 24 June 2016 }}
</ref>

In 1593, Admiral Sir [[Richard Hawkins]] advocated drinking orange and lemon juice to prevent scurvy.<ref>{{cite book|author= Kerr, Gordon |date= 2009|title= Timeline of Britain|publisher=Canary Press}}</ref>

A 1609 book by [[Bartolomé Leonardo de Argensola]] recorded several different remedies for scurvy known at this time in the Moluccas, including a kind of wine mixed with cloves and ginger, and "certain herbs". The Dutch sailors in the area were said to cure the same disease by drinking lime juice.<ref>{{cite book|author= Argensola, Bartolomé Leonardo de|date= 1609|title=Conquista de las Islas Molucas|location= Madrid|publisher= Alonso Martín |url= http://cervantes.bne.es/es/su-biblioteca/conquista-islas-malucas2|access-date= 2022-12-12|archive-date=2022-07-01|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220701191003/http://cervantes.bne.es/es/su-biblioteca/conquista-islas-malucas2|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1614, [[John Woodall]], Surgeon General of the [[British East India Company|East India Company]], published ''The Surgion's Mate'' as a handbook for apprentice surgeons aboard the company's ships. He repeated the experience of mariners that the cure for scurvy was fresh food or, if not available, oranges, lemons, limes, and [[tamarinds]].<ref name="bown">{{cite book |last= Bown |first= Stephen R |title= Scurvy: How a Surgeon, a Mariner and a Gentleman Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail |location= New York |publisher= Viking |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-312-31391-3 |url= https://archive.org/details/scurvyhowsurgeon00bown_0 }}</ref> He was, however, unable to explain the reason why, and his assertion had no impact on the prevailing opinion of the influential physicians of the age, that scurvy was a digestive complaint.

Besides afflicting ocean travelers, until the late Middle Ages scurvy was common in Europe in late winter, when few green vegetables, fruits, and root vegetables were available. This gradually improved with the introduction of potatoes from the Americas; by 1800, scurvy was virtually unheard of in Scotland, where it had previously been endemic.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.unhcr.org/4cbef0599.pdf|title=SCURVY and its prevention and control in major emergencies|website= Unhcr.org|access-date= 5 March 2022|archive-date= 12 July 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180712091632/http://www.unhcr.org/4cbef0599.pdf|url-status= live}}</ref>{{rp|11}}