[Sca-cooks] Citrus, Scurvy and The Royal Navy

[CorwynWdwd at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/8/2005 8:31:58 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
jugglethis at yahoo.com writes:
I'm wondering why they would do that?  Unless they had heard rumors that 
citrus juice caused some
kind of ill-effect, or something of that nature, I can't see why they would 
have refused to try
it.  I mean, what did they have to lose?  If it worked, great!!  If it 
didn't, it's no
matter....business as usual I suppose.  It couldn't hurt, right?
Actually, a sudden increase in vitamin C, which I'm assuming the juice will 
provide, WILL cause "the watery flux" aka diarrhea. You can do the same thing 
today by eating too much fresh fruit at once or taking too much vitamin C in 
suppliment form without building up to it. I imagine if they wern't used to it, 
it did just that and they thought they were poisoned. You also can't get the 
work out of someone you can normally if they have the shakes and are dehydrated.

Just a theory

Corwyn

There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. 
And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the 
consequences. -- P. J. O'Rourke