SCURVY 55 



fully recognised as due to the same causes and 

 subject to the same remedies as adult scurvy. 

 Although few infants develop scurvy in its severe 

 form there is evidence that incipient scurvy, arising 

 from imperfect diets and causing general malaise, 

 is much more frequent. 



In spite of the rarity of scurvy in normal times, 

 comparatively slight modifications in the usual con- 

 ditions of food supply rapidly lead, even in this 

 country, to the development of the disease, especi- 

 ally among those accustomed to a one-sided diet. 

 Thus, failure of the potato crop in Ireland in 1847 

 was followed by an outburst of scurvy, as was also 

 the case in Norway in 1904, and the recent shortage 

 in the spring of 1917 was marked by outbreaks of 

 scurvy in Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle. 

 Similar occurrences are recorded by Hess in America, 1 

 where a shortage of potatoes in the spring of 1916 

 was followed by the occurrence of no less than 

 200 cases in a single institution. 



Such facts mean, as pointed out by Hess, that 

 a considerable number of the population are never 

 very far removed from the safety line in this 

 respect, if they are not actually suffering from a 

 partial deficiency. 



In time of war scurvy rapidly appears, and 

 numerous instances of this have occurred during 

 the past four years as, for example, at Kut 



1 J. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1918, 71, 941. 



