SURGEON'S REPORT. cxxiii 



the scorbutic condition. No wonder, then, that at one period a vexatious confinement 

 with no probable limits, and the most harassing disappointments, hope almost chased 

 away by despair, provisions at times scanty, and a deficiency of all comfortable clothing, 

 should have rendered the constitutions of a great part of our little crew obnoxious to 

 this northern enemy. There were times when the spirits of the crew, like our thermo- 

 meters, were below zero ; and such a condition, conjointly with the causes above men- 

 tioned, not only introduced some severe cases, but hkewise in a degree baffled our efforts 

 at a cure. The means of prevention were rigidly enforced, and the importance of exer- 

 cise, by walking, and occasionally dancing, was never lost sight of. Humidity was 

 carefully watched as a known enemy ; and to the various ingenious contrivances of former 

 expeditions, an original and successful invention for condensing vapour was superadded. 

 Regular nutritious diet, and plenty of it, should be the rule in serving out the provisions 

 for a northern expedition: we may be disposed to express disgust at witnessing an 

 Esquimaux meal, and indeed nothing can well be more revolting to an European of 

 even ordinary refinement ; but let us recollect that the common dietetic rule in the 

 days of Augustan polity was " semper quamplurimum assumere dummodo hunc con- 

 coquat," and we must leave the savage on a par with the Roman courtier, since they 

 have equally the same limit to the work of refection — the utter impossibility of earing 

 more. Let it be disrinctly understood, that I am not advocating gluttony, but merely 

 recording what I beheve to be a fact, that very liberal feeding is indispensable to a due 

 generation and preservarion of heat in such a climate, and therefore indispensable to 

 the prevention of scurvy. 



Seventeen of our crew, in all, were more or less suflFerers from this complaint : one 

 only fell a vicrim to it. So long as we had a store of good lime-juice, good clothing, 

 o-enerous diet, and a favourable condirion of cheerfulness, it was not difficult to arrest or 

 control the shghter cases which appeared ; but when, in tlie winter of 1832, and spring 

 of 1833, after deserting the ship, the men had to contend with depression of mind, and 

 a scanty diet (a diet which would have suited a Pythagorean better than a sailor, for we 

 had scarcely any animal food, while our clothing had become almost unserviceable), the 

 development of severe scurvy at once served to heighten our misery, and to sliow how 

 poor a defence a vegetable regimen (chiefly farinaceous) is, when the causes above 

 named are conjointly exerting their depressing influence. 



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