The astuteness of the naval physician James Lind in the 1740s led him to postulate that the remarkably high incidence (approaching 25%) of scurvy in crew members might be caused by a dietary deficiency. He set out to test this in a (non-randomised) trial aboard the 'Salisbury'. Twelve sailors afflicted with scurvy were allocated to receive various promising interventions: but only the two sailors offered daily portions of citrus fruit showed any significant recovery. He noted: ... (citrus) has the advantages, when newly made, to be extremely palatable......it is a very nourishing liquor, well adapted for scorbutic patients
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