SGaWD, Moliy Juicebox (2024)
“Take a sip of my juicebox,” SGaWD and Moliy suggest in today’s song. By heeding their advice, thousands of sailors would have escaped death.
Let’s paint a picture: We’re in 17th-century Europe, and for about 100 years, you have been able to enjoy a cup of tea. And spice your food (well, if you’re rich). These precious items are brought into European ports by seafarers who face a tough reality traveling the still partially unmapped oceans while war rages between various countries around the globe. Many people don’t survive the waters—although not necessarily because of war, but because they have scurvy.
The disease that among other symptoms affects the mouth and gums and prevents its victims from eating was the primary cause of death on ships at the time—even though in the 16th century, citrus fruits were well known as an effective scurvy cure: Whole groves of lemon trees were planted near foreign harbors for sailors coming ashore.
But in the 17th and 18th century, “new medicine” is on the rise in Europe, and critics have sufficiently doubted citrus as a cure for scurvy to abandon it for new, cutting-edge “remedies”: vinegar, for instance, or a delicious mix of alcohol and sulfuric acid.
In 1747 the trusty cure was re-discovered: When ship surgeon James Lind found that 80% of his crew had scurvy, he divided the sick into groups and gave each group a different supposed remedy to test its effectiveness. Needless to say, the group receiving oranges recovered completely: Scurvy is caused by a vitamin C deficiency, and oranges are basically the vitamin-C all-star.
This time, the knowledge stuck: In 1867, it even became British law that ocean-bound vessels had to carry crates of citrus on board to prevent scurvy outbreaks. The ultimate juice boxes, if you will.
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