Posted on 11/29/2004 10:53:24 AM PST by alessandrofiaschi
Study: Scurvy Hit Early N. American French Colony
1 hour, 4 minutes ago Science - Reuters
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Scurvy wiped out nearly half of the colonists who established one of the first French settlements in North America 400 years ago, scientists confirmed on Monday.
The colony existed in 1604 and 1605 on St. Croix Island off present-day Calais, Maine, and St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Nearly half of the 79 settlers died during the harsh winter, prompting survivors to move to what is now Nova Scotia in the summer of 1605.
It was one of the earliest European outposts on the North Atlantic coast of North America, preceding Jamestown by three years and Plymouth by 16 years.
Researchers at Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor, Maine, said they used a process called multi-detector computed tomography to examine the bones of colonists disinterred in 1969. They were scanned before being reburied on the island in 2003.
"We were able to visualize the entire skull from every angle, inside and out. Scans of the skull and leg bones revealed a thick hard palate in the mouth and an extra layer of bony tissue on the femur and tibia, which we believe resulted from the internal bleeding associated with scurvy," said John Benson, director of medical imaging at the hospital.
His report was released in Chicago in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
Scurvy, a fatal disease characterized by weakness, anemia, gum disease and internal bleeding, is caused a lack of vitamin C, which is found in citrus fruits, tomatoes and some vegetables.
Based on cut marks found in one of the skulls, researchers also said they think colonists on Saint Croix Island conducted autopsies to try to find out what was killing their fellow settlers.
Samuel de Champlain, who was part of the St. Croix expedition headed by nobleman-courtier Pierre Dugua Sieur de Mons, described in gruesome detail the symptoms of the disease, which he called land-sickness or scurvy.
"There developed in the mouths of those who had it, large pieces of excess fungus flesh which caused a great rot," he wrote in his travel journal. "Their teeth barely held in place, and could be removed with the fingers without causing pain.
"This excess flesh was often cut away, which caused them to bleed extensively from the mouth. Afterwards, severe pain developed in the arms and legs, which became swollen and very hard and covered with spots like fleabites."
The 6.5-acre island in the St. Croix River, which divides the United States and Canada, is now an international historic site.
ahhhh, now I understand why such rot comes forth from the mouth of Chirac - suck an orange Jacque
Ive always been curious about why so many of the early settlers tried to settle so far north.
Yes, but also why they didn't go to west (even from north) before?
Note to French colonists:
More fruit, less cheese.
I know why go to the place that has the harshest winters.I guess they didn't know better. Interesting information anyway
Either that or scalp collectors.
Question: how do Eskimos or other inhabitants of the far north, who subsist entirely on fish and sea mammals' meat and blubber for at least ten months of the year, not get scurvy and die?
Too cold to move in the winter.
Evolution.
Here's the answer: Great Circle Route.
The coldest places were the ones they got to first. And, of course, they didn't know things might be any better if they went on, maps and compasses being so primitive in those days.
IIRC, the Jamestown settlers were blown south by a storm, and thus settled in a more congenial area.
Nova Scotia is actually the same latitude as central France. England is on latitude with Hudson Bay. The difference (not realized at that time) is the Gulf Stream which moderates the temperature of Europe.
It is said that captain Cook carried many barrels of saurkraut on his ships to avoid scurvy in his crews during his voyages.
Is there vitamin C in saurkraut?
YUM!
My guess is that these may have been fishermen. Lots of good fishing there. I know that fish was a major product of Louisburg, NS.
I would think so. There is also a tree that has protection for scurvy in Canada... the Indians would have known about it; they introduced it to French traders. I forget now what it was.
---Ive always been curious about why so many of the early settlers tried to settle so far north.---
Think about it some more...New York City is about the same lattitude as Madrid...This was probably further south than most of them had lived...it probably didn't seem so far north...until the winter came!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.