Vitamin C – A Life-Saver That Helped Change our World Written by Webmaster Tony Quinn Educohealth on 6 August 2021 . Posted in Latest . It helped save British sailor’s lives, great scientists raved about it and we would be dead (Lost) without its vital immune support. The Magic ingredient is Vitamin C. This wonder nutrient first came to prominence back in the 1700s. During this time the British Navy had a huge problem with their sailors dying from the disease scurvy. During the “Age of Exploration” (from 1500 to early 1800’s) it is reputed that almost 2,000,000 seamen died of scurvy. Legendary explorer Vasco da Gama’s crew fell foul to scurvy in 1499. A staggering 116 of his 170 men died mostly due to scurvy. The famous explorer Magellan too fell foul to scurvy in 1520 with 208 of his 230 strong crew, mainly falling to scurvy. During the 18 th century alone more British sailors died of disease than from military action. Royal Navy surgeon James Lind ...