Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 936

JAMES LIND (1716-1794) A treatise on the scurvy. Printed for A. Millar 1757 2nd ed. xvi, 476 pp. Copy 1: 20.3 cm. Calf; Copy 2: 19.6 cm.

Scurvy had long been known as an often-fatal disease to which seamen on long voyages seemed to be particularly susceptible. As early as the sixteenth century, sailors themselves recognized the curative value of citrus fruit, and by the seventeenth century its use in the treatment of scurvy was medically recognized. But it was not until Lind's work in the eighteenth century that serious consideration was given to the regular supply of fresh fruit and citrus juices to seamen. Even so, the British Navy took no official recognition of it until after Lind's death. Lind, a Scot, was a naval surgeon for most of his life. He was apprenticed to a surgeon when he was fifteen years old and, in 1739, entered the navy as a surgeon's mate. Lind left the navy in 1748 and completed his medical degree at the University of Edinburgh the same year. After ten years of private practice in Edinburgh, he became physician to the Haslar Naval Hospital near Portsmouth where he remained until he resigned in 1783. In addition to his important work on scurvy, he was also a pioneer in the field of tropical medicine.

Cited references: Garrison-Morton 3713 (1st ed., 1753); Osler 3241; Waller 5828; Wellcome III, p. 520

Copy 2: Gift of John Martin, M.D