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Scurvy Treatment During the Golden Age of Piracy - Page 3

Treating Scurvy

While the cure for scurvy wasn't fully understood during the Golden Age of Piracy, there were glimmerings of understanding from period surgeons as the previous page suggests. Many of the surgeon's who published sea surgery manuals referred repeated to fresh foodstuffs as important to the cure. However, as with trying to pinpoint something that was still beyond their grasp, they often cast a wide net, suggesting many additional methods and foods that were not particularly useful in curing the disease. As Moyle says, "...I never knew any man in a Ship to get the Scurvy, who had good Wine, and drank it moderately; but it is such as want it, and green Trade, and Fruits, that are seized with this Distemper...." (Moyle, p. 179-81)

The Cape of Good Hope - a common stopping point
for the Dutch to prevent scurvy Fruits and fresh vegetables were a common element in most of these cures. As most people who are aware of scurvy and it's cure, oranges and lemons are among the best remedies, providing 50 to 80 mg of Vitamin C per gram served. Even sailor's journals noted the effectiveness of such foods. In his journal A Voyage Round the World, William Funnell noted in a 1705 entry that,

"This place [the Cape of Good Hope] produces several sorts of Fruits, both common and not common to us in Europe; as Pomgranates, Water-melons, Chesnuts, with some few Plantains and Bonanoes, and store of very good Grapes, of which the Dutch make a very pretty and pleasant Wine in great quantities, which by Retale is commonly sold at eight Pence a Quart. It also produces abundance of Garden-Fruit, which is very refreshing to those that arrive here sick of the Scurvy." (Funnell, p. 293-4)

Woodall on Treating Scurvy

Woodall didn't realize that the symptoms of the scurvy were nothing more than that: symptoms. So he treated each of the different afflictions of the disease in his book. His cures for problems of the gums and teeth contains some amazing remedies, not the least of which is the "bloud of beasts, either cowes, horses, asses, goats, or sheeps" (Woodall, p. 193). He also gives prescriptions for Ointments to treat outward sores and inward cures for ulcers caused by Scurvy which are in "many waies different from the generall formes and differences of ordinary Ulcers in bodies not touched with this disease." (Woodall, p. 197) However, these are quite rambling and obtuse, so I think we will leave them in his book for the curious to find and go straight to his suggested cure for the disease itself. It's quite apt.

"A word or two to conclude for the young Surgeons concerning the cure of this disease, when they come upon a coast where you may have some helps, let them use some one of these following, they shall find them good upon triall.

Rx: Absinthiæ, Juniper Berries of each {a handful}, Goats milke, lib. 4, boyle this together, he hearbs and berries well brused till a third part be consumed, then straine it, and adde a saffron in pouder {dram}j, stirre it on the fire till it have boyled a very little, and set it to cleer, and give the sicke thereof three times a day at the least, viz. mornings, noone, and night, this drinke hath cured many in great distresse: if you have no goates milke, sheeps milke, or for a need, Cowes milke will serve." (Woodall, p. 197-200)

Juniper berries are rich in Vitamin C and absinthe probably gives you the feeling you're being cured of something. Woodall proceeds to run on for 10 pages about the cure of scurvy. Much of this has to do with his recommendations for enemas, a favorite topic of Woodall's However, I will trim all that and give you the highlights. Note that most of this is actually one long paragraph in his book, but I have broken it into several for readability. I have also emphasized a point in there in case you get lost.

"Further the Surgeon and his Mate must not faile to perswade the Governor or Purser in all places where they touch in the Indies and may have it, to provide themselves of juice of Oringes, limes, or Lemons, and at Banthame of Tamarinds: Also sometime though a man bee well, a comfortable caudell made with some wine, spices, sugar, and the yolke of an egge were very good; for these are helps in that case as well to prevent the disease, as also to helpe it when it comes.

And further experience teacheth which I have oft found true, that where a disease most raineth, even there God hath appointed the best remedies for the same griefe if it be his will they should be discovered and used: and note for substance, the Lemmons, Limes, Tamarinds, Oringes, and other choice of good helpes in the Indies which you shall find there doe farre exceed any that can be carried thither from England, and yet there is a good quantity of Juice of Lemmons sent in each ship out of England by the great care of the Marchants, and intended onely for the releese of every poore man in his neede, which is an admirable comfort to poore men in that disease: also I find we have many good things that heale the Scurvy well at land, but the Sea Surgeon shall doe little good at Sea with them, neyther will they indure. The use of the juice of Lemons is a precious medicine and wel tried, being sound & good, let it have the chiefe place for it will deserve it, the use whereof is: It is to be taken each morning, two or three spoonfuls, and fast after it two houres, and if you adde one spoonefull of Aquavitæ [brandy] thereto to a cold stomacke, it is the better. Also if you take a little thereof at night it is good to mixe therewith some suger, or to take of the syrup thereof is not amisse.

Further note it is good to be put into each purge you give in that disease. Some Surgeons also give of this juice daily to the men in health as a preservative, which course is good if they have store, otherwise it were best to keepe it for neede. I dare not write how good a sauce is at meat, least the chiefe in the ships waste it in the great Cabins to save vineger. In want whereof use the juice of Limes, Oringes, or Citrons, or the pulpe of Tamarinds: and in want of these use oyle of Vitrioll as many drops as may make a cup of beefe, water or rather wine if it may be had, onely a very little as it were sower, to which you may also adde sugar if you please, or some sirups, according to your store and the necessity of that disease, for of my experience I can affirme that good oyle of Vitrioll is an especiall good medicine in the cure of Scurvy, as also in many other griefes, the which in another place is noted.

Lemon of Genova. Further a decoction of Branne and therein Almonds ground, adding Cinamon and Rosewater a little, and some Suger were very comfortable now and then to be taken to refesh the stomacke. And as touching the Tamarinds brought from the Indies they are to be eaten of themselves as the substance of them is, namely to eat them as you would prunes, and being made into conserves, eat them as other Conserves on the point of a knife sucking out the substance, and putting for the the stalkes or stones thereof, some dissolve them in wine or water, and worke out the substance of them therein, and cast away the the rest taking onely that which is pure: one may use this medicine so oft as yea please without danger or harme, onely if hee feare a fluxe of the belly, or have a weaknes in the raines, let him not eat too much of the Tamarinds.

Also the Electuary Diatrionpiperion given each morning a little on the point of a knife fasting, and last, namely at the party his going to bed, is a great preservative; for it doth warme and corroborate the stomacke, and preserveth from the Scurvy, and is very comfortable to bee given to any one that is diseased with the same, or subject thereto. And the Theriaca Diatesseron is yet better, for it hath an especiall vertue in curing that disease. Also Venice Treakle, Mithridate, and London Treakle preserve well from this disease daily taken fasting, and so doth conserve of Roses and Berberies mixed with a little oyle of Vitriole, and given on the point of a knife." (Woodall, p. 184-6)

Fin

What amazed the surgeons was how rapidly men were cured once they reached land. As Woodall notes, "And yet to any man of judgement it may seeme a wonder how a poore miserable man, coming on land from a a long voyage even at the point of death, namely, swolne sometimes to an unreasonable greatnesse notable to life a legge over a straw, nor scarce to breath by reason of strong obstruction, yet in a few daies shall receive the fulnesse of former health, yea with little or no medicine at all." (Woodall, p. 182)

This made some of them suggest that it was the air on land or even the land itself that cured the illness. One even suggested that a cure for scurvy was to dig a hole in the ground and have the sailors stick their heads into it, breathing deeply. However, as we have seen, most of the medical men who dealt with this problem did understand that diet played an important role. However, because the role of science in treating this issue was still decades away, this was a lesson that was to be discovered, lost and re-discovered several times.

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