Modern-Day Scurvy, Vitamin C And Burns

High-dose sodium ascorbate has great potential in the prevention of subclinical scurvy and infection, and in the treatment of burns.

- Viera Scheibner

Vitamin C is probably the most important but alsothe least understood and appreciated vitamin.The lack of vitamin C or "vitamin C avitaminosis", "scorbut" or "scurvy", is in my opinion the single worst scourge of humanity, particularly well-documented since the Middle Ages.

The word scurvy provokes the image of sailors undertaking long sea voyages dropping dead of scurvy due to a very poor diet of worm-riddled biscuits and rum deficient in vitamin C. Most people would indignantly claim that in modern times scurvy does not occur. Is this true?

The pharmacophore of vitamin C is the ascorbate ion. In living organisms, ascorbate is an antioxidant, since it protects the body against oxidative stress1, and is a cofactor in at least eight enzymatic reactions, including several collagen synthesis reactions that cause the most severe symptoms of scurvy when they are dysfunctional2.

Having researched orthodox medical literature showing major benefits of treatment with large doses of vitamin C of a number of medical problems from common cold to cancer, I would like to suggest to the burns specialists to consider seriously and imminently the administration of very large doses of sodium ascorbate (the non-acidic form of vitamin C) to help them addressing a number of the difficult issues in burns treatment.