Scott and Scurvy
January 1, 2013 6:54 AM Subscribe
"Somehow a highly-trained group of scientists at the start of the 20th century knew less about scurvy than the average sea captain in Napoleonic times. Scott left a base abundantly stocked with fresh meat, fruits, apples, and lime juice, and headed out on the ice for five months with no protection against scurvy, all the while confident he was not at risk. What happened?"
Following a reread of The Worst Journey In The World, the story of Sir Robert Falcon Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole, Maciej Cegłowski (creator of Pinboard), digs into the history of how over the course of two centuries the cure for scurvy was discovered, misunderstood and ultimately lost.
Following a reread of The Worst Journey In The World, the story of Sir Robert Falcon Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole, Maciej Cegłowski (creator of Pinboard), digs into the history of how over the course of two centuries the cure for scurvy was discovered, misunderstood and ultimately lost.
This post was deleted for the following reason: I've rediscovered this post! -- jessamyn
This is the danger of empirical knowledge without a theoretical understanding.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:05 AM on January 1, 2013
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:05 AM on January 1, 2013
« Older No state shall deny to any person within its... | Poisoning the Guest Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by klarck at 7:02 AM on January 1, 2013