Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login
Scott and Scurvy (2010) (idlewords.com)
96 points by Pete_D on July 4, 2018 | hide | past | favorite | 10 comments



Great article :) Particularly the summary where the author asks whether issues we have now might be similarly due to ignorance that we will condemn in 60 years.


The article doesn't mention the "other" South Pole explorer who worried about scurvy, but prevented it. Roald Amundsen arranged for seal meat and a version of pemmican that had vegatables and oatmeal[1].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amundsen%27s_South_Pole_expedi...


The whole "Scurvy has been conquered ever since the Lind experiment" is a rather (English) biased view. Other cures/preventions were known way earlier.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlearia

being one of them


Stop reading the comments here and go read the article. It’s about a 20 minute read and is well worth it.


Turns out Vitamin C is not even necessary. If all you eat is fresh meat, you won't have scurvy.


The article mentions that this is because fresh meat contains enough Vitamin C to prevent deficiency.


Specifically in the liver.


It's because of collagen in meat.


No it's not. Dietary collagen in broken down by the digestive system just like other protein.


The role of vitamin C in collagen synthesis is to oxydize lysine and proline. If you already consume enough hydroxylysine and hydroxyproline, which can be found in collagen, then you don't need the vitamin C.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: