James Lind

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The first clues to the treatment of scurvy occurred in 1535—1536 when Jacques Cartier, on advice from Newfoundland Indians, fed his crew an extract from spmce tree needles to cure an epidemic. Various physicians were recommending the use of citms fmits to cure scurvy in the mid-sixteenth century. Two hundred years later, in 1753, it was proved by Dr. James Lind, in his famous clinical experiment, that scurvy was associated with diet and caused by lack of fresh vegetables. He also demonstrated that oranges and lemons were the most effective cure against this disease. In 1753, inM Treatise on the Scurvy[ Lind pubhshed his results and recommendations (7). Eorty-two years later, in 1795, the British Navy included lemon juice in seamen s diets, resulting in the familiar nickname "limeys" for British seamen. Evidence has shown that even with undefined scorbutic symptoms, vitamin C levels can be low, and can cause marked diminution in resistance to infections and slow healing of wounds. 

Bumendtein BA, James KE, Lind BK, Herman EM. Functions and organization of coordinating centers for multicenter studies. Controlled Clin Trials 1995 16 4S-29S. 

In 1746, a Scottish naval surgeon named James Lind carried out a carefully controlled study of the effect of diet on scurvy and demonstrated, beyond reasonable doubt, that oranges and lemons would cure (or prevent) scurvy. However, it was not until 1795, about three hundred years since it was known that citrus fruit would cure scurvy and about 50 years after Lind s definitive work, that the British Royal Navy insisted that sailors receive a daily dose of a citrus fruit. Opinion and prejudice outweighed scientific evidence to the detriment of many for far too long. 

While this idea of a comparative trial was known in the time of Elijah in the ninth century BC, it took 2500 years for physicians to learn this biblical lesson. In 1774, James Lind did his famous trial comparing several different recommended treatments of scurvy and showing that one worked while all of the others were worthless. It is important to recognize that each of these treatments was recommended by recognized authorities of the day. One must assume that these intelligent physicians had reasons why they thought the remedies they recommended worked. It was just that they were wrong. But it took the comparative trial, not clinical observations to prove that citrus juice cured scurvy and the other treatments were worthless. 

In the past, scurvy was a disease that killed many sailors. James Lind discovered that eating citrus fruits prevents scurvy. Citrus fruits contain ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Research the life of James Lind, and write a brief biography. 

AO/FRS - scavenges DPPH, nitrite (NO -), OH, 02 02-, ONOO- regenerates a-Tocopherol from a-Tocopheryl radical antiageing nutriceutical vitamin C-deficiency disease scurvy cured by lime juice — found by Dr James Lind promoted by Captain James Cook in British navy (18th century) — hence limeys Dr Lind befriended poet Percy Shelley was thence the source for Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecrafi Shelley... 

One category of disease that was largely unreported because it was not well understood at the time was that caused by various nutritional deficiencies. Both sides recognized some correlation between diet and certain diseases—that had been demonstrated by British naval surgeon James Lind with the introduction of orange and lemon juice to prevent scurvy in 1753—but the role of vitamins would not be... 

The human body cannot make its own vitamin C it must be obtained from external sources. Vitamin C also cannot be stored in the body. The disease scurvy, caused by a lack of vitamin C, has always been a threat to people with a limited diet. In 1747, Dr. James Lind studied the effect of diet on sailors who had scurvy. Those whose diet included citrus fruits recovered. In 1795, long before people knew that citrus fruits were rich in vitamin C, the British navy began to distribute lime juice during long sea voyages. For this reason, British sailors were often called limeys. ... 

A large documentation on scurvy has been accumulated during the centuries. Some relevant reports, which contain kinetic information on the development of ascorbate deficiency, will be reviewed briefly. The first well-known, detailed, and comprehensive report on this disease, Treatise on Scurvy, was published in 1757 by the Scottish naval physician James Lind (2). Some case reports are cited here. Thus, during the journey of H.M.S. Salisbury from August 10 to October 28, 1746 (i.e., 75 d), only one sailor was reported ill with the disease. In a report of four ships bound for the East Indies, 105 out of 424 sailors were reported dead from scurvy within 4 months. Other fragmentary notes are oflBcial reports by the Danish and Dutch East India Companies of regular outbreaks of the disease after 5-6 months at sea. This was in the seventeenth century. 

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