Customer Reviews

Scurvy: How a Surgeon, a Mariner, and a Gentlemen Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail

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This is a well-written, entertaining book. I read it mostly due to my interest in sea-faring and the "age of sail," as the author terms it. However, I found myself enjoying it just as much for the story it tells about the gradual discovery of a cure for a disease that crippled sea-faring nations for centuries. Particularly enlightening is the story of the bureacracy, the British Admiralty, that stubbornly ignored the potential cure, even as it suffered tremendous losses for its ignorance, and how vital privilege and influence is in challenging and changing such an establishment. The book's only minor flaw is that it focuses primarily on one country, Britain, without elaborating on how or why France or Spain failed to find a cause and a cure. I would recommend it highly.

This book tackles a fascinating subject; scurvy which killed 100,000s of sailors. Many passages illuminate the causes and affects of this terrible disease, which quite simply results from a lack of vitamin C and causes the bond of the body to weaken, causing terrible bleeding in the gums and from the skin. The cure for scurvy was not understood for 100s of years and this book takes the reader on a quick stroll through this history. Why did Eskimoes, who ate no vegetables, not suffer scurvy? This question was posed by the English whose aptitude for eating limes gave them the nickname `limies' since limes appeared to counteract scurvy. Why did preserved meat not work? Why did cooked meat or limes not work? These questions were eventually answered by the man who found out the truth behind the disease. This is the books central theme and actually its main detraction. Since the book focuses on the men, reminiscent of the recent book on the OED, it detracts slightly from the overall history of scurvy. Nevertheless this is a welcomed addition on the subject, and a fascinating read.

Seth J. Frantzman

I've always been fascinated by the age of sail, particularly the period during the Napoleonic Wars. An incredible test of nations and the men at sea occurred during that war. Consequently I have enjoyed reading numerous fictional accounts of that war from authors such as Patrick O'Brien, Dudley Pope, and C.S. Forester. What I never fully grasped were all the reasons why the Brits were superior to the French and Spanish navies. Those authors always talked up the better training and discipline as the reason. They also pointed to the leadership purges of the French navy that occurred during the revolution. However, I intuitively recognized that there was something more to the story. The cure for scurvy was that something more. And the Brits got there first.

Brown does a fantastic job of outlining the history of scurvy and the quest for a cure in a very interesting and readable fashion. Outlining the course of scurvy at sea during the voyages of Anson and Cook, he is able to put a cost on scurvy. He details how rigid social structures prevented remedies from being taken seriously and reluctance by the Admiralty to invest in its men in terms of hygiene and diet permitted this affliction to rage for much longer than it should have. It is shocking to read how the medical professionals of the day diagnosed patients despite the evidence. When it appears that they are on the very verge of a cure, they seem to loose touch with logic and regress to useless remedies.

Brown tells the story of scurvy very well.

I've always had an interest in the Age of Sail, but only recently started doing some knuckle-down reading. This book is a pretty good place to start if you're getting into maritime history, or diseases in history. Or both!
Brown's book flows pretty well, is often entertaining and informative. He uses a few first-hand accounts of the disease (one by a ship's surgeon) that prove to be both disturbing and engaging. Descriptions are bountiful, and whilst some information tends to be repeated a few times, it's never condescendingly done, nor does it read too drily.
Some of the theories at the time on what the cause of scurvy was are just mind-boggling. Some of the symptoms included lethargy and depression, so it was decided that scurvy was caused by laziness on the sailors' part and the cure was to work them harder! Poor blighters! And people who lucked onto finding the actual cure were laughed out of town and their theories forgotten - seems to be a pattern in history, doesn't it?
Turns out the cure for scurvy had a major role in England's naval capabilities, including colonisation and battles with the Europeans. Uh-huh, if the Brits hadn't discovered it, we might all be speaking French, or German, or whatever...hmmm.
Anyway, I'd recommend this to anyone with even a vague interest in history - it's a good read, and you can make others nauseous by describing the disease's effects upon the human body, and the squallid conditions of the ships. Fun for the whole family, really.

Finding and implementing a cure for scurvy on Naval vessels had the same impact on the fleet as the introduction of nuclear power did to the submarine fleet more than 200 years later.

The author does a great job of recreating the conditions on the naval ship of the era, where scurvy took a huge toll among the crew and left few unaffected. When added to the horrific hygene on the ships, a majority of the crew was doomed as the vessels undertook long voyages to farflung shores.

The search for a cure is a classic study in the behavior of large organizations over the centuries. It was not enough to discover and then rediscover the cure, it was required that the established "cures" be slowly overcome.

It is a very enjoyable and enlightening read. Highly recommended.

For those who are not familiar with life aboard long-distance sailing ships during the Age of Sail, this book is quite an eye-opener. The author pulls no punches when describing the dreadful living conditions that had to be endured by sailors and, he is particularly graphic in his descriptions of the horrible effects that scurvy had on those afflicted. He recounts the attempts made by certain key individuals to understand and cure the disease as well as the frustrating steps taken backwards when any significant progress that was made was set aside and ignored mainly due to the bureaucratic inertia that pervaded the British Royal Navy at the time. The writing style is clear, friendly and quite engaging such that the book is difficult to put down. This book would likely be of most interest to history buffs, medical history buffs and anyone interested in people's lives and times during the Age of Sail.

The Age of Exploration brought spices, slaves, gold, opportunities and a ravaging illness. With voyagers running before the wind to India, the Western Hemisphere and Australia, sailors that once hugged shorelines were now sent vast distances. Maritime nations engaged in fierce competition for "discovery", conquest, and resources. The competition meant extended journeys taking months and years at sea to complete. The result, beyond the obvious dangers, was the debilitating illness of scurvy. Medical science hadn't come far when Britain and other sea-faring nations launched mighty fleets manned by street scrubs and displaced yeoman. Long journeys, poor food and rare stops for fresh vegetables laid low thousands of sailors in British ships. Bown examines the impact of scurvy and the hit-and-miss efforts to curb it in this highly readable account.

Bown explains the extent of scurvy, noting that due to its cause it wasn't limited to seamen. With so many accounts of scurvy-ridden voyages, it's easy to lose sight of that fact. Opening with an account of the 18th Century seafaring world, the author goes on to relate some early findings in dealing with scurvy. Cartier, exploring the Saint Lawrence River, discovered the Native Americans were aware of scurvy. They also knew how to overcome it. Other travellers in distant lands away from fresh fruits, also suffered.

It is, however, the British experience Bown draws on for this story. Britain's Royal Navy, charged with expanding their role in protecting commerce from France and Spain, became the most vulnerable segment to scurvy. The Navy overmanned ships to make up for expected losses. With little knowledge of scurvy's cure and even less of its cause, keeping the ships operating simply meant having enough sailors on board to do the tasks. Overcrowded ships were considered the only solution. Many efforts were made to cure the ailment, but most were misdirected, based on poor information or unverified. Scientific testing was almost unheard of, as Bown points out. Even when rigorous methods were applied, results were still questioned.

The first of Bown's "heroes" in this medicinal epic was James Lind. Lind took a group of scurvy victims of HMS Salisbury and treated them with various prescriptions. Carefully recording results, he found that citrus fruits actually cured even severe cases. Lind, regrettably, failed to follow up on his find, becoming embroiled in "medicinal politics" in his later years. Bown shows how Lind's work found a more focussed champion in Captain James Cook. Cook's massive Pacific voyages in the 1770s were virtually scurvy free, something the Royal Navy might have seized upon, had it been more attentive to the records. By the time of Cook's death, however, the Royal Navy was busy fighting the rebels of the North American colonies. Not long after came the Napoleonic Wars adding to the burden. That era saw the rise of a new investigator, Gilbert Blane who had both a practical sense of how to keep sailors free of the disease and the clout to apply it. Bown shows how Blane's efforts, applied forcefully to Royal Navy ships, improved sailors' health, leaving British tars in shape to fight and win the significant sea battles of the Napoleonic Wars.

Bown's book is a good explanation of the impact of scurvy and how the problem was addressed in the British Navy. He presents his characters fully and depicts a few in illustration. A map of Cook's voyages is provided, which is pleasing, but adds little to the point. He also provides a table of fruits and vegetables with their Vitamin C content. He outlines the steps taken by researchers to find and identify, then artificially produce this indispensable compound. In all, it's an informative book. It's only blemish is the overly attentive focus on the British circumstance. The title indicates a comprehensive study, but we're not given that. Since Bown recounts that scurvy hindered the French and Spanish crews fighting the British at Trafalgar and the Caribbean, we might have expected some relation of what their scientists attempted to identify and cure scurvy in their own navies. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

I can remember hearing of the disease scurvy at a very young age, reading about sailors, both fictional and nonfictional. I knew the medical dynamics of the disease and of course did know that it was looked upon by great dread by the mariners during the time of the sailing vessels. I must admit however, that I never have given it all that much though; aware of its existence...yes, but I never really sat down and thought about it at any mentionable depth.

I must say though, that after reading Stephen R. Bown's work I have come to look upon this "old time disease" in a new light. Bown makes a very good case that scurvy and its ultimate prevention had major geopolitical ramifications. Its eradication or control allowed the British Navy and there by the country of England to establish its empire and for a time Britannia did indeed rule the waves.

The author vividly points out the fact that scurvy killed hundreds of thousands of seamen during the days of sailing vessels. Not only did it outright kill, but due to it's debilitating nature, caused battles to be lost, ships to sink and wreck, or to be abandoned, and of course ruined the health of thousands.

The author paints a very vivid picture of life at sea during those times and it is not a pretty one. It is extremely hard to believe that men could live under the conditions as described by the author. This is all presented to the reader as a canvas to present the author's primary goal of telling us about the process of the discovery of, and then the loss of and then the rediscovery of a cure and prevention of this disease.

This is also a very good study on just how cheap life was in those days and the almost complete insensitivity of the ruling class to the death and suffering of the lower classes that truthfully were treated much worse than most animals in those days.

The story centers on the works and writings of three men, James Lind, the surgeon, Captain Cook, the mariner and Gilbert Blane, the gentleman. I must tell you that I was well aware of Captain Cook's contributions in this area, but was clueless as to Lind and Blane. I am prompted to continue my reading and further study the lives of these fascinating men.

The author makes a very good case that scurvy was one of the primary causes of the loss of the thirteen colonies during our revolutionary war and had the British Navy not been so overcome with the effects of this disease the out come of our revolution could have been quite different. The same holds true later of England's sea wars against Spain and France and had not England already adapted the philosophy of prevention rather than strictly that of cure; history could quite well have been changed. As one reviewer has so succulently pointed out...we could all quite well be speaking German or French even to this day had England not been the first to come to the realization of the cause and prevention of this disease.

The author goes into some detail as to the ignorance and superstition which prevailed during those days as to the practice of medicine. As an example, we are shown that many at the time simply felt that scurvy was a form of Devine retribution against those that had sinned. Many of the so called cures of those days actually did far more harm than they did good.

Those interested in history will find this a good and informative read. I felt it could have been done with a little more depth but for a rather short read the author has packed a lot of information in and has presented it in a very readable fashion. This is the kind of work that should stimulate further reading and research on the part of the reader.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Scurvy was a dreadful disease that exacted horrendous cost, both human and financial. It appears when we don't eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables which we now know contain vitamin C or ascorbic acid. We don't need much but if we don't get the little we need, then in a few weeks or months our gums bleed, our teeth loosen, our connective tissues begin to weaken. Death comes slowly and excruciatingly.

Eating lemons and oranges cures scurvy quickly when the symptoms appear and prevents it altogether on long sea voyages where no fresh food is available. Unfortunately fresh fruits spoil quickly and are expensive. Also, the hocus pocus medical theories still followed in the Renaissance didn't agree with this and it took decades for the naval bureaucracies to accept the cure. Three men were chiefly responsible for this. First there was James Lind who identified the disease and conducted the world's first controlled clinical trials to show lemon juice cured and prevented scurvy. There was the famous captain James Cook who in nearly ten years of explorations lost not one man to scurvy, showing it was possible to beat the disease. And there was Gilbert Blane who was perhaps most important of all in getting the cure accepted.

Where Lind was a scientist who knew the cure, he had few patrons and was never able to get the attention of those responsible for supplying ships. Captain Cook took every scurvy cure available, lemon juice among them, but he also had the luxury of often landing to restock with fresh food. Cook knew lemons were an expensive solutions not favoured by his patrons so his notes failed to clearly and unambiguously state what the cure was. It was up to Lind's patron, Gilbert Blane, who himself had tragically lost hundreds of men under his command to scurvy, to push through the solution.

The author makes a case that it was the final acceptance of lemons and oranges by the British navy that allowed it to keep its crews healthy and so maintain the blocade that prevented Napoleon from invading Great Britain.

A great read, Scurvy drives home the point that progress is not only about science and engineering but also, perhaps chiefly, about politics. Recommended.

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

Few discoveries are truly the consequence of a `eureka!' type discovery by one person. Most are the consequences of incremental knowledge and some coincidence of timing, event or circumstance that enables possibilities to be explored. And so it is with the cure for scurvy. Unfortunately, progress is rarely linear and solutions are often stumbled on before causation is scientifically understood.

The Surgeon (Dr James Lind), the Mariner (Captain James Cook) and the Gentleman (Sir Gilbert Blane, who was also a physician) each contributed to the cure for scurvy even though none of them seemed to understand its cause. On long voyages and during periods of war, when the ready availability of sailors could not be assured, the issue of the relative health of seamen became important.

`No matter how grand a ship was, it was useless without sailors and marines to properly sail it.'

While I knew quite a bit about Captain James Cook's enviable record for scurvy reduction on his long voyages, I had very little appreciation of the respective roles of James Lind and Gilbert Blane. This relatively slender book goes quite some way to filling in those gaps. While the absence of scurvy may well explain British superiority at sea for a large period of the `Age of Sail', and its presence may well be a contributory reason to why Britain lost the American War of Independence, I'd like to explore those aspects further.

This is a wonderful book for those interested in maritime history, medical discovery and serendipity of circumstance. I will be delving into the bibliography and the notes provided by Mr Bown to read more about scurvy. I will also be looking to read his other books.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith