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Mr. F. G. Jackson and Dr. V. Harley. 



without any changes of clothing, and no possibilities of washing, so 

 that their sanitary conditions were not only of the roughest description, 

 but the most unsuitable possible for health, and during the whole of 

 this time they had no fresh vegetables whatsoever, and not even any 

 lime juice. The only food they were able to use was fresh walrus or 

 bear's meat, which had been preserved simply by the cold. During 

 this entire period they ate no salted or tinned meats, and we can pre- 

 sume that the bear and walrus meat, as it would freeze almost imme- 

 diately on being killed, would remain perfectly fresh. 



In consequence apparently of the purely fresh meat, and in spite of 

 the most unsanitary conditions, Nansen and Johansen passed the 

 whole winter almost constantly in the dark, without exercise, and yet 

 showed no symptoms of scurvy whatsoever. In fact, the results with 

 these two individuals show that Neale's view, who had laid special 

 stress on the want of proper ventilation as one of the causes of scurvy, 

 was not realised, for the ventilation of their hut must have been 

 extremely bad, as they describe the soot from their blubber lamps being 

 deposited everywhere. 



Before commenting on this a few more examples in reference to this 

 important subject may well be given. 



One of us (F. G. J.), when living amongst the Samoyads on Waigatz 

 Island, and the Bolshaia Zemclskija Tundra in 1893 and 1894, 

 observed some striking facts as to the cause of sciwvy. 



Amongst those of the Samoyads who invariably winter upon 

 Waigatz, who never take vegetables nor know of lime juice, scurvy is 

 unknown. They, however, live entirely upon fresh reindeer meat. 

 On the other hand amongst those Samoyads, who in the autumn 

 migrate south with the Kussian peasant traders from the neighbour- 

 hood of Yugor Straits, and live in common with them in the districts 

 adjoining the large rivers in North-East Kussia upon salted fish — the 

 chief winter food there until the following May — scurvy is prevalent. 

 That this fish is invariably tainted can be testified to from personal 

 experience. 



In 1893, when at Kharborova, a Samoyad settlement on the Yugor 

 Straits, a remarkable case pointing to the cause of scurvy came under 

 his notice. Six Russian priests, whose religion forbade them to eat 

 reindeer or other such meats, but allowed salted fish, were left in a hut 

 by Siberiakoff", the wealthy mine-owner, to pass the winter, a year or 

 two prior to F. G. J.'s. visit. A small Russian peasant boy: — whom he 

 conversed with — was left to wait upon them. . The priests lived almost 

 exclusively on tea, ])read, and salted fish ; the boy lived upon similar 

 food, except that instead of the salted fish he ate fresh reindeer meat. 

 Kone of them had any vegetables. In the following May, when the 

 Samoyads and peasant traders returned, they found that all the six 

 priests had died of scurvy, whereas the little boy, who had lived upon 



