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What is scurvy?
Scurvy is a disease caused by a Vitamin C deficiency. It was common among early sailing ship crews who did not have a source of Vitamin C in their diets during long voyages. S…curvy presents itself as swollen bleeding gums and the opening of previously healed wounds. It was a particular problem among sailors in the days of sailing ships as they had no fresh food for long periods of their voyages. The British discovered that consumption of citrus fruits - particularly limes - could prevent this disease. The Royal Navy began issuing sailors with a ration of limes, which led to the British in general being referred to as "limeys". James Lind (1716-1794) was the one who insisted that the British use lemons to combat the disease, but the Royal Navy did not heed his advice right away. When limes were first used, the disease did not have a name, nor did they know what caused it. Scurvy is a disease caused by deficiency of Vitamin C in the human body. (MORE)