James Lind (1716-1794) was a Scottish physician. He is known today for his studies on the causes and remedies of the sailor’s disease scurvy.
Dr. Lind entered the navy in 1739 and, in 1747, became surgeon on a ship in the Bay of Biscay, the HMS Salisbury. It was there that he proved the health benefits of citrus fruits in scurvy. In a well-designed experiment, he treated six different groups of sailors with different dietary additions, including vinegar, saltwater and spices. But only the group of scurvy patients who received oranges and lemons recovered.
In 1753 he summarized his findings in a book, ‘
A treatise on the scurvy’. This book, however, was virtually ignored and Dr. Lind’s simple recommendations to save the lives of sailors were neglected.