Vitamin C and The Pirate Code
The high seas, mutiny, and Davy Jones’ Locker might come to mind when you think of a pirate’s worst fear, but the true peril aboard these cursed ships was something much different…scurvy. This disease was a pirate’s right of passage during the sixteenth century when their long voyages often had little to no fresh food – most importantly: no lemons, limes or oranges (equivalent to gold on the open sea). Scurvy is brought on by a severe Vitamin C deficiency causing loss of teeth, swelling, sores, and likely a walk off the plank.
