fuch, he faid, as lived the whale winter on falted bacon,
without fermented liquors, greens, or fruit, a few apples
excepted ; but he remarked, that in the winters following a
plentiful growth of apples, thofe peafants were manifeftly
lefs liable to the complaint.
I have dwelt the longer on this part of my fubjeft, as I
look upon the knowledge of the nature and caufe of the
fcurvy to be an ellential ffcep towards improving the means
of prevention.and cure. And I am perfuaded, after mature
reflection, and the opportunities,! have had of. conyerfing
with thofe, who, to much fagacity, had joined no fmall experience
in nautical practice, that upon an examination o f
the feveral articles, which have either been o f old approven,
or have of late been introduced into the navy, it will be
found, that though thefe means may vary in form, andin their
mode of operating; yet that they all fome-way contribute towards
preventing or correcting putrefaction, whether of the
air in the clofer parts of a ihip, of the meats,' of the wetter,
of the clothes and bedding, or of the body iffelf. And if in
this inquiry (which may be made by the way, whilft we
take a review of the principal articles of provifion, and other
methods ufed by Captain Cook to guard againft the fcurvy)
I fay, if in this inquiry it fhall appear, that the notion of a
feptic or putrid origin, is not without foundation, it will be
no fmall encouragement to proceed on that principle, in
order further to improve this important branch of medicine.
Captain Cook begins his lift of his prefervative ftores with
malt: Of this, he fays,, was made fweet wort, and given not only
to thofe men who had manifefifyniptoms of the fcurvy, hut to fuch a/Joasr
were judged to be mofi liable to it. Dr. Macbride,whofirftfuggeft-
ed this preparation, was led (as he obfervesj to the difeovery
| . b y
by fome experiments that had been laid,before this Society,
by which it appeared that the air produced by alimentary
fermentation was endowed with a power of corredting putrefaction
*. The fadt he confirmed by numerous trials, and
finding this fluid to be the fixed air, he juftly concluded, that
whatever fubftance propér for food abounded with it, and
which could be conveniently carried to fea, would make
one of the fureft remédiés againft the fcurvy ; which he then
cohfidered as a putrid difeafe, and as fuch to be prevented or
cured by that powerful kind of antifeptic f . Beer, for in-
ftance, had always been efteemed one of the belt antifeor-
butics ; but as that- derived all its fixed air from the malt of
which it was made, he inferred that malt itfelf was preferable
in lorig voyages, as if took up lefs room than the brewed
liquor; and would keep longer found. Experience hath
fince verified this ingenious theory, and the'malt hath now
gained fo much credit in the navy, that there only wanted
fo long, fd healthful, and fo celebrated a voyage as this; to
rank it among thé moft indifpênfable articles of provifion.
For though Captain Cook remarks, that a proper attention to
othet things mufi hejoined, and that he is'not altogether of opinion, that
the wort will be’ablé to cure the fcurvy in an advancedfiate at fea ;
' yet hé is perfuaded ■ that it is fujficient to prevent that difiemper
from'makingany'great progrefs, for a_ confiderabde time-, and therefore
hé doth not hefitate to pronounce it one of the befi antifeor-
biltic medicines yet found out ).
This
* Appehd.'tbmy Olfervations on the Difeafes of the Army.
f Macbride’s Exper. E1T. pajjtm.
t Having been ‘favoured with a fight of the medical journal of Pvfr. Patten, furgeon to the
Refolution, I read the following; paliage' in it, not .a little ftrengthenirig the above tellimony,
ƒ have found‘the wort 'of iheutmof fervid in all fcorbuiic. cafes during the Voyage. As many took
it by way of prevention, few cafes occurred where it had a fair trial ; but thefe, however, I f at"