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

from Juva

A clear and easy to read history of one of the most serious disease brought about by the age of exploration. Caused by a vitamin C deficiency, the ravages of scurvy decimated any ship away from land for more than a month or two. As ocean travel became more common, and military maneuvers necessita...

from Helcura

I thought I knew about scurvy - it was a disease of sailors caused by vitamin C deficiency. This book showed me how ignorant I was. I had no understanding of how severe scurvy could be, how widespread it was, that it still exists on a large scale. Bown's book is particularly enlightening about th...

from ChrisWise

Fascinating look at the impact of dealing with and then solving the problem of scurvy. Very worthy addition to libraries of O'Brian fans.

from mahallett

very interesting. so much i didn't know. as another reviewer noted, a little drawn out.

from richardderus

DNF @ 18% I'm callin' it. No more. I KNOW THAT ASCORBIC ACID IS THE ANSWER IT'S THE 21ST GODDAMNED CENTURY so tell me how people who *couldn't* have known it was ascorbic acid firgured it out without saying it's ascorbic acid EVERY MOTHERFUCKIN PAGE. Cartier could've saved tens of thousands of li...