Title: Scurvy: How a Surgeon, a Mariner, and a Gentleman Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail
Author: Stephen R. Bown
Genres: non-fiction, history, medical history, naval history, read for school, pirates
This blog post has a different format and style of writing than my regular posts- this an academic book review my class was assigned for the Golden Age of Piracy course that I'm taking this summer. It's long, but bear with me, I think you'll enjoy it!
In Scurvy: How a Surgeon, a Mariner, and
Gentleman Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail (New York:
Thomas Dunne Books, 2003), Stephen R. Bown follows the convoluted history of
the cure for scurvy during the Age of Sail (1700-1850) in Britain. Scurvy was
eradicated after decades of conflicting research and bureaucratic red tape,
courtesy of the British Admiralty. Ridding the British Navy of scurvy helped
strengthen Britain’s economy as it entered the Industrial Revolution (198):
“The
defeat of scurvy, and the concomitant increase in the time ships could spend at
sea, was … the keystone in construction of the British-dominated global trade
and communication network that flourished throughout the nineteenth century”
(208).
Chapters are organized
chronologically with the first two chapters giving the readers background
information on the seafaring world and scurvy. Detailed descriptions of the
horrible and unsanitary conditions that sailors suffered through while engaging
in a dangerous occupation is blended with the history of scurvy and the
symptoms and effects, physically and economically of this disease. The third
chapter explains George Anson’s voyage to the South Seas, the greatest medical
maritime disaster of all time, and how this disaster “was the beginning of a
golden age of scurvy research… and raised public awareness of the social cost
of scurvy” (68). Chapters 5, 7, and 8 focus on key historical figures that were
monumental in the fight against scurvy: James Lind (the surgeon mentioned in the
book’s subtitle), James Cook (the mariner) and Gilbert Blane (the gentleman).
Each of these three gentleman used their experiences and social standing to
further the cause and journey of scurvy research and a cure, with varying
results. Other chapters explain debate in scientific and naval circles over
citrus rob versus wort of malt as cures for scurvy.
Bown introduces and sets the book’s
tone with a horrific, detailed description of the physical symptoms of scurvy
suffered by thousands of sailors for centuries. Not only did scurvy affect the
sailors and crew of the British Navy, but this preventable disease had
disastrous social consequences for British citizens and the economy. This
insidious disease killed over two million sailors, “more than storms,
shipwreck, combat and all other diseases combined” (3).
Throughout
the book, Bown intertwines narrative with scientific data to create an
intriguing look at one of history’s most mysterious yet, preventable,
illnesses. Primary sources such as, memoirs, journals, and casualty lists, were
cited to describe personal accounts of ship life and the effects of scurvy from
a sailor or surgeon’s point of view. Bown also used secondary sources to
supplement his narrative: recorded folk cures for scurvy, histories on food and
food preservation, biographies, and research on ascorbic acid (Vitamin C).
Ship
logs that recorded the victuals ordered and stored on the Navy ships enlighten
the reader about the bland and nutrition-deficient diet that sailors were
forced to partake as part of their daily routine. Unfortunately, the bland and
tasteless food rations, the damp quarters and unsanitary conditions, the four
hours of sleep every night, plus the stress from the extreme physical labor all
sailors experienced wore down the sailors’ immune systems and made them ripe
victims for scurvy and numerous other diseases.
Although
this was enjoyable read and Bown thoroughly researched his subject matter,
there are a few weaknesses to the book. The first one is the 24-page chapter on
Napoleon and Horatio Nelson which, at first read, appears out of place. It takes
Brown thirteen pages of war strategy to explain how these two men and the
Battle to Trafalgar were intertwined with scurvy:
“But
with the defeat of scurvy, the warships of the Royal Navy never deserted their
posts and the majority of Napoleon’s navy was kept bottled up in half a dozen
separate ports throughout the war. The blockade disrupted France’s commerce and
communication with her colonies, damaged the French economy, and weakened the
country’s capacity to pay for the ongoing war” (198).
In
other words, the expensive and preventive scurvy measures and rations were
visibly paying off! Scurvy research had allowed the British Navy to build up
their fleets due to the lack of deaths from scurvy. The increased manpower
helped the British defeat the French whose forces were weakened from scurvy and
other diseases and lack of support from Bonaparte. If these preventative
measures had been in place decades earlier, the outcome of the American War for
Independence might also have been in Britain’s favor! In the last two pages of
Chapter 9, Brown points out the silent role the scurvy cure played in thrusting
Britain onto to the world stage as a global empire:
“With
a lower death toll of mariners on long voyages, the expense of manning ships
and shipping goods was greatly reduced. Without scurvy tethering ships to port,
global trade expanded throughout the nineteenth century, fuelling the
Industrial Revolution” (208).
The
second weakness I found was the glossing over of the Vitamin C research in the
twentieth century, although this may be due to the fact that the book’s focus
was on the Age of Sail. It still would have been nice to read how the
scientific advancements of the microscope and germ theory aided scurvy
research.
The
cure for scurvy was also a social and humanitarian revolution. Instead of
treating sailors as cheap and expendable, the preventive measures used in the
1800s changed the way the Admiralty viewed and treated the thousands of sailors
in its care. The cure for scurvy had a ripple effect outside of Britain and
increased trade and prosperity throughout the world.
Because
of the non-academic nature of this book, I feel that multiple reading levels,
reading styles, and research areas would benefit from reading this book. This
book would appeal to readers and researchers of the Age of Sail, British naval
history and medical history. As a college student and library employee, I would
feel confident in recommending this for various reading needs and research
purposes: AP History course, college history course, medical historians, naval
historians, and amateur history buffs.
