is a
Disease
that results from insufficient intake of
Vitamin C and leads to the formation of livid spots on the skin, spongy gums, and bleeding from almost all
Mucous Membrane s. The spots are most abundant on the thighs and legs, and a person with the ailment looks pale, feels depressed, and is partially immobilized. Scurvy was at one time common among
Sailors whose
Ship s were out to sea longer than perishable
Fruit s and
Vegetable s could be stored and by
Soldier s who were similarly separated from these foods for extended periods.
In infants, scurvy is sometimes referred to as named after Sir
Thomas Barlow (
1845 -
1945 ), a British
Physician who first described it. Barlow's disease is different from
Barlow's Syndrome .
Scurvy is also known as and '''Cheadle's disease'''.
Inflammation and
Hemorrhaging , a condition termed ''scorbutic gums''.]]
Symptoms include:
- joint pain
- black-and-blue marks on the skin
- poor healing of bruises
- gum disease
- spongy gums
- thin hair
It takes about three months of vitamin C deprivation for the symptoms of scurvy to manifest. Untreated scurvy is always fatal, but, since all that is required for full recovery is the resumption of normal vitamin C intake, death by scurvy is rare in modern times.
Scurvy was probably first observed as a disease by
Hippocrates . In the
13th Century the
Crusaders suffered from scurvy frequently, and it has inflicted terrible losses on both besieged and besieger in times of war. Scurvy was one of the limiting factors of marine travel, often killing large numbers of the passengers and crew on long-distance voyages. It even played a significant role in
World War I .
The British civilian medical profession of 1614 knew that it was the acidic principal of citrus fruit which was lacking, although they considered any acid as acceptable when Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) was unavailable. In 1614
John Woodall (Surgeon General of the
East India Company ) published his book "The Surgion's Mate" as a handbook for apprentice surgeons aboard the company's ships. In it he described scurvy as resulting from a dietary deficiency. His recommendation for its cure was
fresh food or, if not available, oranges, lemons, limes and tamarinds, or as a last resort, Oil of Vitriol. (
Sulphuric Acid )
However, it was not until
1747 that the treatment and prevention of scurvy by supplementation of the diet with citrus fruit such as
Lemon s and
Lime s was introduced into the British Navy by
James Lind .
The plant known as "
Scurvy Grass " acquired its name from the observation that it cured scurvy, but this was of no great help to those who spent months at sea. During sea voyages, it was discovered that
Sauerkraut was of use in preventing scurvy. In the
Royal Navy 's
Arctic expeditions in the
19th Century , for example, it was widely believed that scurvy was prevented by good hygiene on board ship, regular exercise, and maintaining the morale of the crew, rather than by a diet of fresh food, so that Navy expeditions continued to be plagued by scurvy even while fresh meat was well-known as a practical
Antiscorbutic among civilian whalers and explorers in the
Arctic . At the time
Robert Falcon Scott made his two expeditions to the
Antarctic in the early
20th Century , the prevailing medical theory was that scurvy was caused by "tainted" canned food. It was not until
1932 that the connection between
Vitamin C and scurvy was established.
The use of limes by the Royal Navy to prevent scurvy gave rise to the name "limey" for a British sailor which has been since extended to all British in American
Slang .
hemorrhaging, a condition termed ''scorbutic tongue''.]]
In modern western society, scurvy is rarely present in adults, although it does occasionally occur in those who go on a diet of pure junk food. However, vitamin C is destroyed by the process of
Pasteurization , so babies fed with ordinary bottled milk sometimes suffer from scurvy if they are not provided with adequate vitamin supplements (
Breast Milk contains sufficient vitamin C to prevent scurvy on its own). Virtually all commercially available baby formulas contain added vitamin C for this reason.
Scurvy is one of the accompanying diseases of
Malnutrition (other such micronutrient deficiencies are
Beriberi or
Pellagra ) and thus is still widespread in areas of the world depending on external food aid. (See also the report from the
WHO referenced below.)
Normal
Collagen synthesis depends upon the
Hydroxylation of
Proline and
Lysine to form
Hydroxyproline and
Hydroxylysine , respectively. These nonstandard
Amino Acids are found abundantly in collagen and confer strength to collagen fibrils.
Prolyl and
Lysyl Hydroxylase , the enzymes that catalyzes the hydroxylation, require
Vitamin C . Without it, hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine are not formed, and the resulting collagen fibrils are considerably weaker than normal.
