The occasions when scurvy outbreaks were observed despite the regular use of lime juice, were widely advertised and aroused in the minds of many the suspicion that scurvy might not be due to lack of freshness in the food. A number of theories were advanced to explain the etiology of the disease. Harley and Jackson (4) in 1900 accepted the view which had been put forth by Torup of Christiania, that scurvy resulted from eating decomposed meat, and was a kind of "pto-main" poisoning. It is easy to understand that this view seemed plausible. The sailors in times when the disease was common were restricted essentially to a diet of salt meat and hard tack. The experiences of men in the Arctic regions with fresh and stale meats confirmed the supposition that the latter were inferior to the former. Stefansson (5) has recently reported his own observations on this disease in the far North, which led him to conclude that a factor of no small importance was the consumption of large amounts of salt with salted meats, and he therefore resorted as a protective measure to denying salt to his men.