Live Wilderness Adventure - Chapter 660

Scurvy!

It’s not a big name.

This is a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, so it is also called vitamin C deficiency. However, vitamin C deficiency can not only cause scurvy, but also be related to inflammation, arteriosclerosis, tumors and other diseases.

It was a disease that seriously threatened human health in history.

In the past few hundred years, it has been widely popular among sailors, explorers and the army, especially among the voyagers.

The clearer description of scurvy in ancient books is in the records of the medieval crusades.

Some scholars dated it back to the era of Hippocrates BC, and it is said that traces of scurvy have also been found on the remains of humans in primitive society.

At the end of the fifteenth century, scurvy was also the cause of bedridden many sailors until 1753, when Scottish naval physician James Lind discovered that the disease was related to diet, and found that drinking orange juice and lemon juice could treat and prevent bad blood. Blood disease, so far has the prevention and treatment of scurvy.

This kind of disease is actually very easy to prevent, as long as you eat vegetables and fruits regularly, you don’t even need to supplement it deliberately.

But once it is left untreated, it can lead to iron deficiency, from anemia to skin bleeding, loose teeth, personality changes, and finally death.

“So, scurvy is a disease that can only be experienced by sailors who only eat meat and do not eat vegetables. But there is another phenomenon that has plagued this scientist in modern times.”

“That is, the Inuit who only eat meat and do not eat vegetables, how come there is no scurvy?”

Talent from a different place?

Or is there another way?

The curiosity of the audience was aroused, and many sailors couldn’t help but sit up straight and listen to Bi Fang’s explanation.

Bi Fang cut another salmon, took off its belly, stuffed it into his mouth with satisfaction, tasted it beautifully, then swallowed it, and finally sat cross-legged on the ground, leisurely began to explain the reason.

“I said just now that low temperature can also kill parasites, and it only needs to be minus 20 degrees. In fact, this is only the normal temperature in the Arctic. Although the relative temperature in the water is much higher, it is not liked by parasites, but this Of course it’s not absolute, low temperature insecticide is far less efficient than high temperature, but it can greatly reduce the chance of being hit.”

“And most of the parasites that can survive in the Arctic are actually harmless to the human body. In addition, the Arctic is almost pollution-free, and the three are superimposed. Even freshwater fish can be eaten raw, so there is no need to panic.”

“As for why it is necessary, in fact, eating raw meat can also supplement vitamin C, eh!”

Bi Fang choked. He hadn’t eaten meat for too long, and he ate too much at once.

He patted his chest and took another sip of water. Bi Fang said slowly, “From 1906 to 1918, Vihjalmur Stefansson, an anthropologist at Harvard University who was also an explorer, er, is Vihjalmur.”

In order to facilitate everyone’s memory, Bi Fang translated Icelandic into English.

“Vihjalmur visited Canada’s little northern region three times, where he spent the winter with the local Inuit, ate and lived together.

“Due to geographical constraints, Inuit most of the time can only eat meat and animal fats, such as birds, reindeer, seals, walruses, whales, etc., which provide them with all the food for at least 10 months of the year. Nutritious, and in the summer, they are likely to eat some plant-based foods, such as berries, roots and so on.”

“However, like the Inuit, Vikhjarmur did not suffer from scurvy because of such a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables.”

“When he made his knowledge public, he was heavily criticized by some skeptics.”

[Hey, I also doubt it if it were me]

[It doesn’t seem to be a genetic problem]

[Can raw meat also supplement vitamin C? 】

Bi Fang took a sip of warm water, chewed a piece of raw meat, and continued.

“In order to verify again and investigate the principle behind it again, in 1928, Vikhjarmur and his colleagues were admitted to Bellevue Hospital in New York, and under the strict control of the hospital and the supervision team, started a ‘diet’ Experiment’, that is, like the Inuit, eat meat and animal fat year-round for a year.”

“Before the trial began, many experts predicted that Vikhjarmur would eventually suffer from scurvy due to a lack of vitamin C. The result… Naturally, it was surprising.”

After the trial, Vikhjarmur was still healthy, and his physical condition improved to varying degrees, such as quicker thinking, more stable blood pressure, not to mention scurvy, and he did not have any symptoms of vitamin deficiency. ”

Lack of vitamin C can cause scurvy

Scurvy was first discovered by the French Brittany explorer Jacob in 1536, when it was extremely troubling to those exploring the St. Lawrence River.

Jacob also gave a detailed description of scurvy, and even if you look at it now, you can still vaguely feel a little horror.

“Some people lost all their strength and couldn’t stand up…Others also had purple scars on their skin and then they started showing up on ankles, knees, thighs, shoulders etc and their mouths stink , the gums gradually rotted, the flesh on the body began to fall off, and even the roots of the teeth were no exception, almost all fell off.”

There is no doubt that human beings cannot do without vitamin C. Otherwise, the consequences will be very serious. Moreover, the human body cannot synthesize vitamin C by itself. Unlike cats and dogs, these animals can synthesize vitamin C by themselves.

“About 60 million years ago, the ancestors of human beings, the great apes, lost an enzyme required for the synthesis of vitamin C from glucose, the name is very long, called gulonolide oxidase, and eventually lost the production of vitamin C. Ability.”

“Darwin’s evolutionism has no doubt that the root is correct, but it does not mean that there is no problem, it can even be said that the problem is very big.”

“The state of human beings at this time is actually not necessarily the most suitable for the environment. There is a considerable part of luck factors, so some non-fatal defects will also exist. Of course, this expansion is complicated, and I will briefly mention it. , without further ado.”

Bi Fang shook the kettle, returned to the topic, and directly explained the reason.

“The end result is actually very simple. A high-sugar diet requires more vitamin C. As long as you don’t eat staple foods, your body’s vitamin C needs will drop significantly.”

“And there is actually vitamin C in meat. The most important thing is that the vitamin C content in raw meat is much higher than that in cooked meat. This is because the heating process will cause some of the vitamin C to be lost by oxidation.”

“The custom of the Inuit is that they like to eat raw meat. I said it when I was in Mohe, and because of this, I got a slightly contemptuous name called Eskimo.”

“Open source and cut expenditure, scurvy will stay away from me.”

Bi Fang took a hard bite of the fish and chewed it down.

Finally had a full meal.