1902] REMARKS ON THE NATURE OF SCURVY 405 



the antidote to scurvy lay in vegetable acids ; scurvy grass was 

 sought by the older voyagers, and finally lime-juice was made, 

 and remains, a legal necessity for ships travelling on the high 

 seas. Behind this belief lies a vast amount of evidence, but a 

 full consideration of this evidence is beset with immense 

 difficulties. For instance, although it is an undoubted fact 

 that with the introduction of lime-juice scurvy was largely 

 diminished, yet it is apt to be forgotten that there were other 

 causes which might have contributed to this result ; for at the 

 same time sea voyages were being largely reduced by steam 

 power, and owners were forced to provide much better food 

 for their men. 



It is beyond the scope of these pages to deal with such 

 evidence, and it is sufficient to remark that modern medical 

 thought finds it inconclusive, taking the view that the only 

 antidote to scurvy is to banish its cause. Thus put, it is easy 

 to see that many cures might have been attributed to the 

 virtues of a supposed antidote which were really due to a dis- 

 continuance of the article of food that caused the disease. 



I understand that scurvy is now believed to be ptomaine 

 poisoning, caused by the virus of the bacterium of decay in 

 meat, and, in plain language, as long as a man continues to 

 assimilate this poison he is bound to get worse, and when he 

 ceases to add to the quantity taken the system tends to throw 

 it off, and the patient recovers. The practical point, there- 

 fore, is to obtain meat which does not contain this poison, and 

 herein lies the whole difficulty of the case, for danger lurks 

 everywhere. Tainted fresh meat may be virulent, but in the 

 ordinary course of events one eats it rarely and so is saved 

 from any disastrous result. The risk of a taint in tinned meat 

 is greater because of the process involved in its manufacture, 

 and with salt meat the risk is greater still for the same reason. 

 To what extent meat must be tainted to produce scurvy is 

 unknown, but there is reason to suppose that the taint can be 

 so slight as to escape the notice of one's senses; in other 

 words, poison may lurk in a tin of meat which to the sight, 

 taste, and smell appears to be in perfect condition. Such a 



