SCURVY

From the 16th to the 19th century the dreaded scurvy was responsible for more deaths at sea than storms, shipwreck, combat and other diseases combined. By the 18th century, scurvy was the single greatest problem for the world-girdling navies of European nations, and the cures applied often proved as deadly as the disease. In the second half of the 18th century a trio of individuals converged to lift the veil of obscurity from scurvy - a bookish surgeon named James Lind, the famed mariner and sea captain James Cook, and an influential physician and gentleman named Sir Gilbert Blane. Lind conducted the first controlled trial in medical history in 1747 seeking to isolate an effective treatment; Cook spent nine years a t sea between 1767-1776 in every ocean in the world testing antiscorbutics; while Blane battled government indifference at the highest levels to have lemon juice issued as a standard ration in the British Navy. He was successful in 1795, enabling the Royal Navy to remain at sea for months and to emerge as the strongest fleet on the globe after defeating Napoleon. Their work changed ocean travel forever, opening the seas to commerce, travel and exploration for many nations. - Proposed length: 65'000 words, incl. illustrations.

Stephen R. Bown has a degree in history from University of Alberta. He has written about adventurers, travellers and explorers for several magazines in the US and Canada.