SCURVY
SCURVY
Scurvy – the word comes from the Latin word scorbotus – has been plaguing humans since ancient times.
It is a disease caused by a lack of Vitamin C and has a range of unpleasant symptoms including fever, swelling limbs, bleeding and paralysis.
During the 16th to 18th centuries scurvy became particularly associated with sailors who sailed great distances without sufficient fresh foods. For sailors, it was a greater threat than enemy action, and during one expedition alone in the 1740s nearly three-quarters of the crew were lost to illness. It was a huge problem, as the naval surgeon James Lind noted, ‘the scurvy alone, during the last war, proved a more destructive enemy, and cut off more valuable lives, than the united efforts of the French and Spanish arms.’
The benefits of citrus fruits to combat scurvy had been recognised early, but provisions on board did not regularly include them. Admiral Richard Hawkins had realised in the 16th century that scurvy could be defeated by serving the sailors three spoonfuls of lemon juice each day. He wrote that the best remedy was the use of ‘sour oranges and lemons’.
In a 1636 work on Naval Surgery it was noted that ‘The use of the juice of lemons is a precious medicine, and well tried; being sound and good, let it have the chief place, for it will deserve it; the use whereof is: It is to be taken each morning, two or three spoonfuls … .’ But although this knowledge was available, it was still not properly understood, and expeditions that followed failed to take the advice, more generally attempting other remedies such as blood-letting, elixir of vitriol and countering the bad effect of sea air by putting turf on the patient’s mouth!
In 1747 James Lind was the surgeon aboard HMS Salisbury when there was a serious outbreak of scurvy. He carried out what became the first controlled experiment to try and tackle scurvy. He had 12 patients whose symptoms were ‘as similar as I could have them. They all in general had putrid gums, the spots and lassitude, with weakness of their knees.’ He gave them all the same diet but divided them into six groups on whom he tested different remedies, including one group who received two oranges and one lemon each day. ‘The consequence was, that the most sudden and visible good effects were perceived from the use of the oranges and lemons … .’ By the end of the week’s trial those men were better.
Unfortunately these results did not attract much attention, and James Lind left the navy and returned to practice in Edinburgh. Although he published a book, A Treatise of the Scurvy, in which he detailed his experiment, he deduced that scurvy was a result of cold moist air and only partly caused by diet, and thus left no clear conclusion explaining the connection between Vitamin C and scurvy. He died in 1794.
Sir Gilbert Blane had been appointed as physician to the British fleet in 1780, and at his suggestion, an experiment carried out in 1795 proved Lind’s theory again. A ship, the Suffolk, left England and arrived in Madras 162 days later with no sickness, after each man was issued ⅔ oz lemon juice and 2 oz sugar mixed in with his daily grog. ‘She lost not a man; and though the disease made its appearance in a few, an increased dose of lemon-juice immediately removed it.’ Another ship, the Centurion, made a similar length journey and lost half her crew.
The Scottish naval physician Thomas Trotter had also corroborated Lind’s thesis by his own observations and shared his belief in the advocacy of lemon juice, firing off a series of missives to the Admiralty. He vented his frustration at the lack of progress, especially after the disaster of the Centurion in 1795: ‘The lemon, and all fruits of that class, have been known as effective cures for scurvy for more than 200 years. But so defective were the arrangements in the medical department, that not a single chest of lemons or oranges were ever seen in store, or on a king’s shop, on home service, where the disease was most apt to appear in its hideous forms.’ (Monthly Magazine, 1822)
Finally, in 1795, the year after James Lind’s death, at Blane’s insistence, 75 oz per day of lemon juice became standard issue in the British Navy. Within 50 years scurvy had been eliminated, although it reappeared in the late 19th century after lime juice was substituted for the lemon juice. Limes, which gave the sailors their nicknames of ‘Limeys’, have an ascorbic acid rate of one-third less than lemons and oranges.
Today, James Lind is honoured by the Institute of Naval Medicine as the father of naval medicine. The official crest of the Institute features a lemon tree, and the British Navy requires all ships to carry enough lemons so that every sailor can have an ounce of juice a day.
LEMON & PEPPERMINT FOOT SCRUB
Give your feet a treat with this divinely-scented, refreshing foot scrub. It’s so quick and easy to make and use, and you’ll immediately see and feel the results! You’ll need a clean, sterilised jam jar as this can be kept and re-used.
INGREDIENTS
•250g sea salt
•2 tbsp nut oil (almond is best)
•3 tsp lemon zest and a few drops of juice
•10 drops peppermint oil
METHOD
Simply mix the ingredients together and store in a jam jar. Keep it in the fridge between uses.
Soak your feet for a few minutes in warm water, then take a scoop of salt scrub and gently massage all over your feet for a few minutes. Pay extra attention to areas with harder skin such as your heels.
Rinse off and ideally follow with a moisturising lotion to enjoy baby-soft feet for days!
TOP TIP
For an extra indulgent and fragrant treatment, soak your feet in a warm bowl of water with slices of lemon, a big pinch of salt and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Then sit back and relax!
LEMON & TOMATO EYE TREATMENT
Tomato and lemon creates a powerful combination to help fight dark circles and regenerate puffy, tired skin around the eye area. This mask is packed with Vitamins A and B, great for skin renewal and cell turnover, and is so simple to make and use!
INGREDIENTS
•juice of 1 lemon
•juice of 1 tomato
METHOD
Simply combine the juices and sweep over the under eye area. Be very careful not to get the juice in your eyes. If you do, wash immediately with cold water.
Leave the mixture on for 30–40 minutes and rinse. Also be careful when rinsing off not to splash the treatment into your eyes.
TOP TIP
Try to use best quality locally-sourced tomatoes as supermarket ones suffer during tranportation and storage and can contain less nutrients.
COCONUT & LEMON DAMAGE REPAIR MASK
Lemon juice has multiple benefits for hair and scalp. It can treat dandruff, itchy scalp, stimulate hair growth and even help to straighten and tame unruly frizz.
INGREDIENTS
•60ml lemon juice
•200g coconut oil
METHOD
Mix the lemon juice and coconut oil together until completely blended.
Use a comb or your fingers to coat your hair and scalp with the mixture and be sure to work it right through to the ends.
Wrap your hair in a warm towel or in clingfilm and leave the mask to work its magic for around 20 minutes.
If you can do this while relaxing in the bath, the heat and steam will help the mask to work even more effectively.
Wash out thoroughly for beautiful, shiny, manageable hair.
TOP TIP
To tackle dandruff you can apply lemon juice direct to your scalp and massage for around 20 minutes before rinsing out.
NAIL STRENGTHENER
Broken, chipped nails are an aggravating, but totally avoidable problem. The issue with nails is almost always lack of moisture and this leads to brittleness and weakness in the nail. Before you rush out and spend a fortune on shop-bought chemical products, here’s a simple and highly effective treatment you can make yourself.
YOU WILL NEED
•3 tbsp olive oil
•1 tbsp lemon juice
•2 drops lavender oil (optional)
METHOD
Combine the lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl with the essential oil if using. Warm the mixture in a small pan on a very gentle heat, or in a microwave for a few seconds. When the mixture is cool, pour into a clean, sterile bottle.
Apply a generous amount to a cotton pad and coat the whole of each nail and surrounding area with the treatment.
You can repeat this treatment as often as you like!
TOP TIP
Apply at bedtime and wear some cotton manicure gloves for an extra intensive and luxurious treatment.
