What diseases might return after an interruption of our food supply? There is one that just may rear it's ugly head......

    There were many hardships our ancestors encountered whenever they wandered away from civilization. Whether crossing the country in a covered wagon or sailing in a ship, hardship was the course of the day. Disease played a big role in their lives, the medical field was still in it's infancy in the early and mid 1800's. On the overland journey's the food that was typically packed were of the type that had a long shelf life. Flour, Salted Meats, and dried fruit were among them. One of the most endangered of the pioneers were the gold miners, it is estimated that several thousand died from "Scurvy". However it was not identified as the cause of death, mostly exposure, starvation and disease took the rap. Yes that maritime disease that many of the sailors on the tall ships suffered from, the miners shared. (For a further description of scurvy click here. )

A fresh supply of vegetables and fruit would be more than tough on a trail like this. 

    The cause of scurvy is a lack of vitamin "C", when deprived of it for 40 days the symptoms begin. Night blindness along with vision problems, wounds would not heal, gums would begin to bleed. Crippling pain in the legs and feet, swelling to the point of ending a persons mobility. The skin begins to turn black, death was on the doorstep.
    In the year of 1859 Fort Laramie experienced a scurvy outbreak which was ended by consuming cactus. A remedy taught to the forts doctor by the local Native Americans. The epidemic was caused by a lack of vitamin C, the cactus was rich in it. Within a few days of consuming vitamin C the symptoms begin to diminish. The gold miners in California would eat raisins to ward off the disease, the raisins were more valuable than gold.

It was a hard life chosen by the miners, disease was rampant.
Scurvy was a very real threat,.

    I would like to make the point I am writing this blog about, that is the question: Even though it is rare in this day and age, are we immune? The short answer is no, I can see in an evacuation event Scurvy raising it's head again. If the event last for two months or longer there is a real possibility that scurvy could return. That is the reason when we prepare our emergency kits we must include fruit and vegetables. Dried is fine however keep in mind cooking will reduce the vitamin C in it. Vegetables are rich in vitamin C as well, soup, hot dishes or just eating a carrot will keep the disease at bay.

Here's a good source of vitamin C, as
we all know. 

    We are very fortunate to live in a time when food is readily available. Abundance sometimes causes us to become complacent, assuming this will always be the case. Unfortunately there are a number of situations that could change our food supply. Drought, infrastructure failures, civil unrest or an incident like a volcano eruption. Placing us at the mercy of the supply, causing shortages, possibly starvation. (More than you want to know about Vitamin C is here.)
   
The chances of such are remote, but still possible. Scurvy makes me wonder at times just how vulnerable our society would be if as a nation we were faced with an event that compromised the food supply, what other diseases might be waiting in the wings.
    A little depressing, after reading this over it makes me hesitate to publish, but I feel there is an important message here. That message is "Be Prepared". Thanks for reading my blog, please comment, suggest new topics or just say "Hi".

Thanks jimandkate  EmergencyKitsPlus.com Dried Fruit Packs