Why isnt he dead? Jose survived 13 months adrift in a small boat, without provisions, until he landed at the Marshall islands. Even a century ago, on many ships, even with the finest foodstuff provisions of the day, sailors would be extremely ill with scurvy, and many dying. By 3-4 months, scurvy would be expected, since many people didnt believe in the theory of certain foods preventing scurvy. So when the normal allotment of fresh fruits and vegetable ran out, the problem was about to start. Peoples beliefs are hard to change, and it was well known that discipline, and fresh air was the way to prevent scurvy. One ship that supplied lime juice to the sailors found it didnt work. So much for supporting the theory that lime juice could prevent scurvy. Interestingly, their lime juice was stored in copper containers, which inactivated the vitamin C. Our conventional wisdom states that vitamin C is in fresh fruits and vegetables, so how did Jose survive? While true, these are not the only sources of vitamin C. The sailors of old did not partake of these other sources, but Jose did. These sources are meat, and fish, especially if raw, since heat also inactivates the vitamin C. The highest amounts are in the brain, liver and eyes, which unfortunately, Joses young companion could/would not eat. Im not sure I would have survived either, but more power to Jose for his will to live.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 00:07:26 +0000
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