Sir Gilbert Blane
For much of the Age of Sail, scurvy was considered an occupational hazard of oceanic travel. The disease, which we now know was caused by a lack of vitamin C in the naval diet, would normally appear a few months into a voyage. The initial symptoms were mild, but as time went on, they became steadily worse. Skin bruised, gums bled, teeth and hair fell out, and old wounds reopened. If left untreated, victims would eventually die, a fate that an estimated 2 million sailors suffe
