Tag: Royal navy

For centuries, scurvy was a maritime plague, killing more sailors than warfare; during George Anson's 1740 voyage, more than 80% of his crew died of the disease. Understanding **how does the navy prevent scurvy** is a story of scientific discovery, bureaucratic inertia, and eventually, the triumph of nutrition.

An estimated two million sailors died from scurvy between 1500 and 1800, but the cure was discovered long before the cause. The question of whether scurvy is a lemon or a lime is a historical tale filled with surprising twists, revealing how lemons were the original cure but limes eventually took over for political and logistical reasons.

Between 1600 and 1800, scurvy killed over one million sailors, more than died in all naval combat combined. To combat this devastating disease, sailors experimented with many different methods and provisions, seeking a cure for what did sailors use for scurvy.

An estimated two million sailors died from scurvy between the 16th and 18th centuries alone. The disease, caused by vitamin C deficiency, was a devastating scourge on long sea voyages, and sailors avoided scurvy by discovering and rediscovering effective treatments, often by chance, over hundreds of years.