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Scurvy

How a Surgeon, a Mariner and a Gentleman Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail
Author: BROWN, STEPHEN
Publisher: The History Press

$33.00

The story of how three individuals conquered the plague of the sea. A…

1 in stock

SKU: 9780750997409 Category: Product ID: 1091224

Description

The story of how three individuals conquered the plague of the sea. A lively recounting of how three determined individuals overcame the constraints of 18th century thinking to solve the greatest medical mystery of their era. The cure for scurvy ranks among the greatest of military successes, yet its impact on history has mostly been ignored. Stephen Bown, in this engaging and often gripping book, searches back to the earliest recorded appearance of scurvy in the 16th century, to the 18th century, when the disease was at its gum-shred, bone-snapping worst, to the early 19th century, when the preventative was finally put into service. Brown introduces us, among others, to James Lind, navy surgeon and medical detective, whose research on the disease spawned the implementation of the cure; Captain James Cook, who successfully avoided scurvy on his epic voyages; and Gilbert Blane, whose social status and charisma won over the British Navy and saved England. 20 b/w illustrations

Additional information

Dimensions 19.8 × 12.9 cm
ISBN

9780750997409

Subtitle

How a Surgeon, a Mariner and a Gentleman Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail

Author

BROWN, STEPHEN

Publisher

The History Press

Release Date

Tuesday February 1st, 2022

Format

Paperback / softback