SCURVY, or Sconuu'mtis, is a disease which is characterized by a depraved condition of the blood. In consequ'ence of this morbid state of the blood, there is great debility of the system at large, with a tendency to congestion, hemorrhage, etc., in various parts of the body, aid especially in the gums. It is a disease that has probably existed from the earliest times, but the first distinct account of it is contained in the history of the crusade of Louis IX., in the 13th c., against the Saracens Of Egypt, during which the French army suffered greatly from it. In the 16th c. it prevailed endemically in various parts of the n. of Europe, and it seems only to have abated about a century ago. It was in badly fed armies, in besieged cities, and on board ship, that its ravages were most appalling, and it is believed that more seamen perished from scurvy alone than from all other causes combined, whether sickness, tempest, or battle. Whole crews were pros trated by this scourge, as in the well-knoWn case of lord Anson's memorable voyage.
Scurvy so closely resembles purpura in its general symptoms that it will be sufficient for us to refer to the article on that disease, and here merely to indicate the leading points of difference between the two diseases, which, notwithstanding their similarity, are essentially different. Scurvy is caused by a privation, for a considerable time, of fresh succulent vegetables, while purpura often makes its appearance when there has been no deficiency of this food, or special abstinence from it. Scurvy is most common in winter or the early spring, while summer and autumn are the seasons for purpura. In scurvy the gums are invariably swelled and spongy, and bleed readily; in purpura this is not necessarily the case. In scurvy there is extreme debility and depression of spirits, yenesection and mercury do positive harm, while a cure is rapidly effected by the administration of lemon-juice, or of fresh fruits and vegetables; whereas in purpura there is little or no mental or bodily depression, venesection and mercury often give relief, while po marked and certain relief iollows the administration of the lemon-juice and fruits that are all powerful in scurvy.
Although the virtues of lemon-juice in scurvy were known in this country as far hack as 1606,-when John Woodhall, master in surgery, published The Surgeon's Mate, or Military and Domestic _Medicine, this invaluable medicine was not made an essential ele ment of nautical diet till 1795. The effect of this official act may be estimated from the following numbers. In 1780 the number of- cases of scurvy received into Hasler hospital (a purely naval hospital) was 1457, while in 1806 there was only one case, and in 1807 only one case. Many naval surgeons of the present day have never seen a case•of the disease.
The potato possesses almost equally great antiscorbutic properties, and, fortunately, potatoes when cooked are as active as when taken raw. The late Dr. Baly, to whom we are indebted for this discovery, states that "in several prisons the occurrence of scurvy has wholly ceased on the addition of a few pounds of potatoes being 'Made to the weeldy dietary." The salutary action of potatoes is probably owing to their containing-a con siderable amount of tartaric acid, partly in combination with potash and lime, and partly free. In addition to the dietetic treatment, which should include easily digested animal food, potatoes, such ripe fruits as can be procured, and an abundance of lemon ade, little further need be prescribed. If necessary; constipation must be relieved by mild laxatives, such as rhubarb and castor-oil; the appetite may be stimulated by bitter tonics, and opiates given to procure rest in-case of pain or obstinate wakefulness. When the gums are very troublesome, solutions of tannin, chloride of lime, or of nitrate of silver, May be applied to them. For an excellent account of this disease, the reader is referred to the article "Scurvy" by Dr. Budd, in The Library of Practical Medicine.
Cochlearia, a genus of plants of the natural order ervaferce; having small white flowers, and turgid many-seeded pouches; the cotyledons accumbent. The species are annual or biennial, rarely perennial, plants; of humble growth, with branched smooth stems, smooth simple leaves, and terminal racemes of flowers. They have an acrid biting taste, containing the same pungent volatile oil which is found in horse-radish, and arc valued for their antiscorbutic properties.. COMMON SCURVY-GRASS (C. officinalis)is sometimes a foot high; the root-leaves are stalked and heart-shaped; the pouches globose, ovate, or elliptical. It is a variable plant, and some of the other species described by botanists are probably not essentially different. They possess the same properties. .Scurvy-grass is very common on the shores of Britain, growing both on rocks where there is little soil, and in muddy places.. It is alsolomid on high moun tains. It is a very widely distributed plant, and being found on'the shores of almost all 'parts of the world. has often been of the greatest benefit to sailors, in times when the modern precautions against sea scurvy were unknown.