There has long been a belief among both medical and non-medical observers that certain diseased conditions were the result of the continued use of a faulty diet. Of these scurvy has long been the most definitely attributed to unsatisfactory quality in the food. This disease is known to have occurred in the thirteenth century among the armies of the Crusaders during the sieges of Cairo and Damietta. The disease was doubtless almost entirely restricted to soldiers and prisoners until after the discovery of America. This event marked the beginning of long voyages, and scurvy began to take a heavy toll of life among mariners. It became known as "the calamity of sailors" because of its frequency on shipboard. A notable instance in the history of scurvy was the voyage of Jacques Cartier in 1536. While in the St. Lawrence River he lost from scurvy twenty-six of his party, and saved the remainder by the use of a beverage made from an infusion of pine needles (1). The efficacy of fresh fruits and vegetables as remedial agents in the prevention and cure of scurvy was discovered by common experience, and became sufficiently established so that in 1795 the British navy began the regular administration of lime juice to all sailors. This caused the disease to disappear practically in the service. In 1865 the British Board of Trade adopted with equally beneficial results a similar regulation. Scurvy continued to be a menace to all armies until the last few decades, when more effective regulation of the rationing of soldiers has been practiced (2). Until a generation ago the disease was common among miserably fed convicts.