Scurvy: How a Surgeon, a Mariner, and a Gentleman Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail

Rating:
Summary: Napoleon, Limes, Lemons and Limeys
Review: This is a fascinating, often amusing book on a very interesting subject. It reads with all the gripping suspense of a well-written novel, while being meticulously researched to be historically accurate. Mr. Bown writes with his trademark contagious enthusiasm for his subject while answering all the questions you and I could possibly think to ask about scurvy. I had no idea, before reading this book, how horrifying the disease could be. The machinations of governments and navies are appalling, as is their total disregard for the plight of their apparently disposable mariners. Nor would I have guessed that the lowly lemon played a major role in defeating Napoleon! You have to wonder why history textbooks are so unnecessarily stultifying, when writers of Mr. Bown's caliber do such a wonderful job of making us gobble up their words as easily as citrus-flavoured Vitamin C tablets!