Final answer:
Sailors before the eighteenth century suffered from scurvy due to a lack of vitamin C in their diet, as they mainly consumed non-perishable food that lacked fresh fruits and vegetables. James Lind's experiment in 1747 was crucial for identifying the role of citrus fruits in preventing and curing scurvy. Consistent diets among sailors were necessary for the experiment's accuracy, though factors like hygiene could also impact health outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Standard sailors' food led to scurvy in the years before the eighteenth century due to a lack of vitamin C, as fresh fruits and vegetables that provide this essential nutrient were not commonly stored or consumed on long sea voyages. Sailors' diets often consisted of salted meats, dried grains, and biscuits which lacked vitamin C, an essential component for the production of collagen and for the proper function of the immune system. This deficiency led to symptoms such as bleeding gums, poor wound healing, and eventually death if left untreated.
The importance of James Lind's scurvy experiment in 1747 was that it was one of the first clinical trials in medicine which clearly demonstrated that citrus fruits could cure and prevent scurvy, leading to the British Royal Navy's adoption of issuing lemons and limes to sailors. This was a significant advancement in the understanding of diet and health, and it helped reduce the incidence of scurvy dramatically among sailors at the time.
Factors in Lind's Experiment
- It was important for the sailors' diets to be the same to accurately determine the effects of the different supplements on scurvy.
- Other factors that could affect the outcome include hygiene, environmental conditions, and overall health status of the sailors.
- The sailors who drank cider showed improvement possibly because cider, being a fruit product, contained some amount of vitamin C, though less than citrus fruits.