The following is an encore presentation of everything everywhere daily.

When Europeans began sailing the high seas on extended voyages,

the most deadly thing they encountered wasn't enemy navies, starvation, or even shipwrecks.

It was a painful disease where your body would literally start falling apart and it killed more than 2 million sailors

between the voyage of Columbus to the middle 19th century.

Learn more about scurvy and how it was eventually conquered on this episode of

everything everywhere daily. Any discussion of scurvy has to start with what the disease is.

At its simplest, scurvy is caused by a lack of Vitamin C.

Most mammal species can produce their own Vitamin C.

Humans, however, are one of the few species which cannot.

So this then raises the question, why is Vitamin C so important?

Probably the most important protein in your body is collagen.

It serves as the primary component in many of the connective tissues in your body. It's found in your cartilage, bones,

gums, tendons, ligaments, and skin. Vitamin C is a vital component for your body to build

collagen. Without vitamin C you can't produce collagen and if you can't produce

collagen you literally can't build the stuff which holds your body together. This is why

scurvy is such a nasty disease.

Your body starts to fall apart,

and that can be incredibly painful.

The symptoms of scurvy can begin after only a month without Vitamin C.

It starts with just feeling sluggish, then you might bruise easily.

Finally your gums might bleed, your teeth might fall out, and your skin might openly just

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