The UK’s liberal party, the Liberal Democrats, has shared worrying data on people suffering from two Victorian diseases caused by malnutrition: scurvy and rickets.
These diseases, very common among former pirates and sailors, have been on the rise in recent years, according to data collected by the Lib Dems through freedom of information requests sent to 78 hospital trusts across the country.
From 2019 to 2023, 28,379 Britons were diagnosed with rickets and 269 with scurvyindicated The Sun. From 2022 to April 2023, almost 11,000 Britons, including 312 children, were admitted to hospital.
At the same time, data from the Times Health Commission also demonstrates this cases of malnutrition have doubled in the last decade and quadrupled from 2007 to 2008.
Margaret Cooperthe party’s spokesperson for health and social care, said that in today’s Britain “no-one should have to suffer from these Victorian-era diseases”.
“It’s time for the Conservative Party to abandon its Dickensian attitude to health care and take public health seriously,” he said.
Scurvy was known as the disease of pirates and sailors.It is believed that increase in the cost of living and, consequently, the consumption of foods less rich in vitamins is probably the main cause of the increase in these diseases in the country.
What is scurvy?
According to the specialized media MedlinePlus, Scurvy is a disease that occurs when there is a severe deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the diet. It causes general weakness, anemia, gingivitis, poor wound healing and skin hemorrhages.
Scurvy occurs when someone has a “severe deficiency” of vitamin C. Photo: Wellcome Images https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Elderly people who do not receive adequate nutrition are most affected by scurvy.
The disease was documented by the ancient Egyptians in a papyrus from 1500 BC. At that time it was suggested to treat it with onion, a relatively wise decision considering that it contains small amounts of ascorbic acid.
It was discovered and forgotten several times, so much so that between the years 1500 and 1800 it is believed that more than two million sailors died due to these oversights.
The disease was discovered around 1500 BCThe consequences of the disease can be seen, for example, in films such as Pirates of the Caribbean, especially in characters who appear older than expected, with ugly teeth or without a leg.
These symptoms correspond to those of a person suffering from scurvy, a disease that causes fatigue, depression, skin blemishes, bone degradation and bleeding of the mucous membranes, and which invariably leads to death if left untreated.
On the other hand, rickets, as indicated by MayoClinic, is the softening and weakening of bones in childrenusually due to extreme and prolonged vitamin D deficiency.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.