JRSM > Volume 96, Number 12 > Pp. 605-608

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Putrid gums and 'Dead Men's Cloaths': James Lind aboard the Salisbury

Graham Sutton PhD FFPH  

Wakefield West PCT, White Rose House, West Parade, Wakefield WF1 1LT, UK

E-mail: graham.sutton{at}wwpct.nhs.uk

18th century sailors often suffered from scurvy. In 1747 James Lind conducted his classic experiments aboard the Salisbury, in which he cured scurvy with oranges and lemons. The Royal Navy did not introduce citrus rations until 1795. The original ship's papers allow the circumstances of the experiment to be reconstructed. The relevant patrol began in March 1747, and Lind's experiment began after 8 weeks at sea. The muster roll records almost no sickness aboard until the ship returned to Plymouth in June. This is at odds with Lind's account and suggests an antisickness official culture, which may have contributed to the neglect of his work.

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