The scurvy is a Maladie related to a food deficiency in Vitamine C which is translated in its serious form by the Déchaussement and the purulency of the Gencive S, of the Hémorragie S, then the Mort.

In the child, this disease took the name of Maladie of Barlow (according to the name of Thomas Barlow, English doctor) - with a little different symptoms: méningée stiffness, aggressiveness, anorexia, suppurations ORL, multiple gastro-enteritises, hemorrhages, sudden death.

The scurvy, quasi omnipresent, raises considerably all the other pathologies, even most benign, sometimes being able to return them mortals.

In Quebec, one always pronounces skorbu (it is the pronunciation recommended in the '' Littré ''), while in France, one says skorbutte rather (only pronunciation suggested in the Robert ). It may be that the name of this disease preserved this pronunciation at Quebec because it falls under the history of the News-France, the corresponding concept being too well-known there so that the word underwent some transformation with the wire of time.

The vitamin C is a precursor of the coenzyme of the enzyme implied in the hydroxylation of collagen. This hydroxylation is essential to the training in triple propeller of the collagen fibers which make it possible to maintain the structure of fabrics. The vitamin C intervenes as an antioxydant: there is hydroxylation of the groupings Proline and, especially, Lysine of collagen, by attack of a molecule of dioxygene, which makes it possible to maintain the structure of the vessels. An oxygen atom is used for the hydroxylation of an amino-acid, but the other atom is present in the form of free radical (O^.). This one being powerful oxidizing, it weakens the capillaries of the gums, from where appearance of the scurvy. Consequently, the release of two hydrogen atoms by the ascorbic acid will inhibit the oxidizing attack of the radical, according to the following reaction: 2:00 + O = H₂O.

History

• towards 1600 av; J. - C.: The first description in the Papyrus Ebers.

• 1535 : Between on December 14th, 1535 and on April 15th, 1536, during the second forwarding of Jacques Cartier in Canada, 25 of the 110 men of crew succumb to the disease. One day, Cartier meets Domagaya, wire of the chief iroquois Donnacona, who seems touched by the mysterious disease. A few days later, it re-examines it, but this time in perfect health. He questions it and this one gives him the receipt which consists to take the branches of a tree named anneda (white thuja) of which “it falloit to crush the bark and the sheets dudict wood, and to put the whole to boil out of water”. The sailors quickly find their forces thanks to this beverage.
• 1600 : A report/ratio of the British navy indicates that approximately 10  000 sailors were victims of the scurvy during the 20 previous years.
• 1747 : On board HMS Salisbury , James Lind carries out an experiment showing that the oranges and the lemons cure the scurvy, thanks to the Vitamine C.
• 1795 : Following the results obtained by James Lind, the Royal Navy provides a ration day laborer of green lemon juice ( file ) or yellow ( lemon ) to its sailors. It has been for this day that the English sailors are called the limeys (at that time file meant indifferently lemon-yellow yellow and green).
• 1913 : E.V. McCollum (E. - U.) starts to set up the nomenclature of the vitamins and qualifies vitamin C ( scurvy-preventing “toilet-soluble C” ) the substance which protects from the scurvy.
• 1928 - 1932:
• Albert Szent-Györgyi insulates “the acid hexuronic” starting from cabbage, of orange and sweet pepper, whereas he sought a substance combining oxygen able to prevent the appearance of brown spots on the fruits which rotted.
• WA Waugh and CG King isolate the vitamin C from lemon and orange and discover that “the acid hexuronic” is the vitamin C. the acid hexuronic is famous ascorbic acid.
• Walter Norman Haworth establishes the chemical formula of it.
• 1933 : Tadeusz Reichstein carries out the synthesis of the vitamin C.

Means of fight against the pette flu

Very widespread disease in the sailors of 15th at the 17th century, the scurvy was fought thanks to the introduction into their food mode very rich in vitamin C, the such Choucroute and lemon. Thus Marc-Joseph Marion of Fresne (1724 - 1772) or Jean-François-Marie de Surville (1717 - 1770) could explore the New Zealand…

At the time of the colonies, the colonists could use the Bière of virginal to fight the scurvy. It should be noted that Canada, country cold and generally low in fruits, could only worsen the situation of the first colonists settling in this part of News-France, and this until they do not find of the alternative solutions, contrary to the other colonies more in the South which they became naturally consuming local fruits generally rich in vitamin C.

21e century

Unfortunately, the Malnutrition striking always and, according to a report/ratio of WHO of 2000, the scurvy remains a frequent disease at our time.

Bibliographical references

• Emmanuel Bevillon, Jacques Cartier, scurvy, and the beer of sapinette , Th. D. : Pharm. : Nantes: 1992. - 038P/1992
• Patrick Grellier, the anti-scorbutic Salary Doctor Mac Attaches of Dublin on board vessels of the Navy (1766 - 1767) , Th. : Méd. : Nantes: 1978. - 1997