Vitamin Discoveries and Disasters

This book is a new work on the history of vitamins and the brilliant men and women who discovered the existence and nature of these small molecules so vital to our health. In 1747, Dr. James Lind discovered that adding citrus fruit to the diet of British sailors helped prevent scurvy. It wasn't until the 20th century that researchers identified the crucial disease-fighter as vitamin C and generally accepted that vitamin deficiencies were the root cause of a number of major diseases. Vitamin Discoveries and Disasters: History, Science, and Controversies describes the emergence of nutritional science and its contributions to our understanding of how the body functions. It is an absorbing look at the men and women, many little known in their lifetimes, whose medical detective work helped us conquer a number of devastating health conditions, including some forms of mental illness. Each chapter of Vitamin Discoveries and Disasters focuses on a specific vitamin, describing the researchers, the research, and the historic and scientific contexts for its discovery. Together, these chapters chart the ongoing conflict between physicians who saw illness as caused by organisms and those who saw illness as a result of dietary deficiency. A concluding chapter shows how our stronger grasp of the effects of vitamin deficiencies on large populations can be used to the utmost benefit of society. - Publisher.