Daily Survival Guide

Today in Survival History
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On this day in 1747, British naval surgeon James Lind began his experiments on the treatment of scurvy. He had served six weeks aboard the HMS Salisbury, patrolling the English Channel, when the sailors started coming down with the disease. Lind performed his experiments on 12 sailors, proving conclusively the value of citrus fruits in combating scurvy. He published a treatise on the subject in 1754, but it was not until 40 years later that an official Admiralty order was issued on the supply of lemon juice to ships. However, upon that order, the results were dramatic. The annual number of scurvy-afflicted sailors sent to naval hospitals was cut in half.