Scurvy, Sick Sailors, and Citrus: The Fascinating Story Behind the Discovery of Vitamin C

Ages ago, a terrifying disease called scurvy plagued sailors. This went on for centuries. Not just sailors, people on land who lacked fresh food were also dying of this ‘mysterious’ illness. It was later discovered that this devastating disease was caused by a prolonged deficiency of vitamin C. 

The path to discovering this vital nutrient was a long one, and it was filled with important historical milestones. Today, we will tell you the fascinating history behind the discovery of vitamin C.

Back in the Days: When Lack of Vitamin C Led to Million Deaths 

According to the Science History Institute Museum and Library, for centuries, a devastating disease called scurvy was said to be the most feared threat among sailors on long ocean voyages. As per record, between the time of Christopher Columbus and the mid-19th century, scurvy killed more than two million mariners. This death toll indicated that scurvy was responsible for more fatalities at sea than combat, storms, and shipwrecks combined. 

Not just this, a sailor suffering from scurvy used to experience horrific symptoms such as extreme fatigue, bleeding gums, tooth loss, swelling, and the reopening of old, healed wounds. There were different popular yet useless medical treatments of the time, such as vinegar and sulfuric acid, all of which failed completely to stop the rotting gums and sudden deaths. 

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How Scurvy Led to The Discovery of Vitamin C

A 2012 study, published in the journal Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, has shared in detail how scurvy and sick sailors played an important role in the discovery of vitamin C. 

As per the study, the first major breakthrough in understanding the cure for scurvy happened in the year 1747. A doctor named James Lind conducted an experiment on 12 sailors who were suffering from the disease. He divided the sick sailors into pairs and gave each pair a different potential treatment to see what helps in their recovery. Out of these six treatments he tested, only the men who were given oranges and lemons recovered. This experiment helped the doctor conclude that something in citrus fruits can cure scurvy. However, the specific nutrient was still unknown. 

Thereafter, scurvy also struck land populations, with many cases showing up during the devastating Irish potato famine in 1845. A major challenge in early medical research to find its cure was that many common laboratory animals can also naturally produce their own vitamin C. 

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Discovery of Vitamin C: A Timeline of Its Historical Breakthrough 

The study further mentioned that scientists Axel Holst and Theodor Frölich made a breakthrough in the discovery of vitamin C when they accidentally caused scurvy in guinea pigs. This depicted that guinea pigs, just like humans, depend entirely on their diet to get the vitamin C they need. 

With an animal model now available, the researchers finally began looking for the exact chemical that prevented the disease. In 1928, a researcher named Albert Szent-Györgyi successfully isolated a unique substance from adrenal glands. At the time, he was not aware what this missing vitamin was and named the mystery substance ‘hexuronic acid’. 

Four years later, in 1932, another scientist named Charles Glen King successfully isolated the actual anti-scurvy nutrient in his laboratory. King soon realised and came to the conclusion that his newly isolated vitamin C was exactly the same substance as Szent-Györgyi's hexuronic acid. 

The final piece of the puzzle was solved in 1933 by a chemist named Norman Haworth. Haworth successfully mapped out the exact chemical structure of vitamin C. This completed the long journey from an unknown cure to a fully understood essential nutrient.

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Conclusion

The discovery of vitamin C is a noteworthy moment in medical history. This is because it changed a deadly maritime curse (scurvy) into a manageable nutritional deficiency. From James Lind's pioneering citrus experiments on sick sailors to the final chemical mapping by Norman Haworth, its historical journey sheds light on the power of scientific observation and persistence.