# How Did This Guy Not Get Scurvy (Eskimo Diet Q.)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 5, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704 "2009-10-05T18:05:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/1 "2009-10-05T18:05:05Z")
[http://www.biblelife.org/stefansson1.htm](http://www.biblelife.org/stefansson1.htm) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/2 "2009-10-05T18:07:43Z")
I’ve read somewhere that you can get enough vitamin D from gnawing on sea mammal bones or something. If there weren’t such a source, the Eskimo would have succumbed to scurvy long ago. In fact, here’s The Master’s Take on it, referencing the same author you do: > **[Traditionally Eskimos ate only meat and fish. Why didn’t they get scurvy?](https://www.straightdope.com/21343509/traditionally-eskimos-ate-only-meat-and-fish-why-didn-t-they-get-scurvy)** ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Buttons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@Mr\_Buttons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Buttons)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/3 "2009-10-05T18:14:33Z")
Whale blubber, also known as [Muktuk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muktuk) on wiki, has a good amount of vitamin C. I was watching Man vs. Wild or one of them, and when they were dropped into a frozen tundra, he demonstrated making a tea w/ pine needles. He went on to explain that this is apparently a great way to get vitamin C in artic areas. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/4 "2009-10-05T18:42:02Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ve read somewhere that you can get enough vitamin D from gnawing on sea mammal bones or something. You need vitamin C to not get scurvy, not D. Whale blubber is a surprisingly good source of vitamin C, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/5 "2009-10-05T18:49:50Z")
> [@](#): > > You need vitamin C to not get scurvy, not D. Sorry – memory slip. I knew that. The conclusions stand. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/6 "2009-10-05T18:52:24Z")
Raw meat in general has small amounts of vitamin C, and Eskimo diet included lots of raw, frozen, dried, or fermented animal products. Also, the amount of vitamin C needed to prevent scurvy is pretty small. People tend to have the idea that vitamin C comes only from citrus fruits. But just about every fruit or berry has lots of vitamin C, and most plant parts have some. The German navy used to prevent scurvy by serving sailors sauerkraut, which isn’t something most people think would have vitamin C. And it’s true that it doesn’t have much vitamin C compared to oranges or strawberries, but it has enough to prevent scurvy. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/7 "2009-10-15T04:59:00Z")
According to Gary Taubes’ book Good Calories, Bad Calories, cultures that eat meat-only diets suffer from no nutritional deficiencies that we would expect, and have low-to-no incidences of heart disease, high blood pressure, breast cancer, colon cancer, or acne (or other hormonally-dependent diseases). Many of them eat literally no vegetables or fruits for most, if not all, of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/8 "2009-10-15T11:01:57Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > People tend to have the idea that vitamin C comes only from citrus fruits. I’ve met people who think it only comes from oranges - ran into one who kept trying to force or even trick me into drinking orange juice, convinced she was saving my life. As orange juice gives me hives, I really _shouldn’t_ be drinking it. (Obviously, I get my vitamin C elsewhere) ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/9 "2009-10-15T17:28:05Z")
I heard that they get vitamin C from the stomach contents of caribou. (sorry no time for cite) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/10 "2009-10-15T18:06:20Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > (Obviously, I get my vitamin C elsewhere) Not from the stomach contents of caribou, I hope. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/11 "2009-10-15T18:10:25Z")
Given the lack of caribou in my vicinty, alas, no… …however, I _did_ recently see a job opening in Barrow, Alaska for which I am qualified, at which location I presume caribou to be more likely than in Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/12 "2009-10-15T19:01:50Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Given the lack of caribou in my vicinty, alas, no… > > …however, I _did_ recently see a job opening in Barrow, Alaska for which I am qualified, at which location I presume caribou to be more likely than in Chicago. Wasn’t Barrow overrun by vampires? Thought I heard it on the news. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/13 "2009-10-15T19:49:34Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > Wasn’t Barrow overrun by vampires? Thought I heard it on the news. Yeah, but it’s supposed to be fairly nice the rest of the year. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/14 "2009-10-15T20:05:46Z")
Meat is a complete diet with all the vitamins and nutrients necessary for survival. I live mostly on animal products, myself. Perfect health and optimal levels of vitamins at last check. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/15 "2009-10-15T20:43:30Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > Wasn’t Barrow overrun by vampires? Thought I heard it on the news. I have mentioned before that I have very, very pale skin and don’t care for direct sunlight… ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/16 "2009-10-16T21:19:43Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Meat is a complete diet with all the vitamins and nutrients necessary for survival. > > I live mostly on animal products, myself. Perfect health and optimal levels of vitamins at last check. So do cats, which are exclusively carnivorous in the wild. Yet most cat foods contains various grains, vegetables, etc. Cats need mostly the same nutrition we need, but they can get all their nutrition from animals because they waste not. They eat the liver, heart, stomach, and other organs. (Cats don’t need vitamin C because they are able to synthesize it.) ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/17 "2009-10-17T02:07:41Z")
People can eat organ meats too. Try them, they’re good! Pet food only contains grains because they are cheap and don’t spoil. Having your pet live on commercial pet food is like you trying to live solely on Nutragrain bars. No wonder most dogs and cats I know have such miserable health. FWIW my cats and dogs eat only raw animal parts. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/18 "2009-10-17T02:50:14Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Raw meat in general has small amounts of vitamin C, and Eskimo diet included lots of raw, frozen, dried, or fermented animal products. Also, the amount of vitamin C needed to prevent scurvy is pretty small. People tend to have the idea that vitamin C comes only from citrus fruits. But just about every fruit or berry has lots of vitamin C, and most plant parts have some. The German navy used to prevent scurvy by serving sailors sauerkraut, which isn’t something most people think would have vitamin C. And it’s true that it doesn’t have much vitamin C compared to oranges or strawberries, but it has enough to prevent scurvy. I almost got it one time. I hate most fruits and veggies and my gums started getting really sore until I started getting more Vit C (orange juice, fruit, etc.). It was weird. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/19 "2009-10-17T20:18:43Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > People can eat organ meats too. Try them, they’re good! > > Pet food only contains grains because they are cheap and don’t spoil. Having your pet live on commercial pet food is like you trying to live solely on Nutragrain bars. No wonder most dogs and cats I know have such miserable health. > > FWIW my cats and dogs eat only raw animal parts. Good wet cat food actually do not contain grains. I feed the neighborhood cat (“Harry”) Fancy Feast’s Medley. It’s not cheap (74 cents a can); there are mor expensive brands more scientifically made (so they say), but Harry won’t eat them. Medley (turkey Florentine with garden greens) contains in descending order: poultry broth, turkey, wheat gluten, liver, meat by-products, spinach, corn starch-modified, artificial and natural flavors, salt, calcium phosphate, soy protein concentrate, added color, potassium chloride, taurine, choline fluoride, vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, pyrodoxine hydrochloride, niacin, vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium pantothenate, copper sulfate, menadione sodium sulfite complex, vitamin D-3 supplement, folic acid, potassium iodide, and biotin. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704/20 "2009-10-18T03:42:05Z")
Yeah, we humans are just lousy at making our own Vitamin C. Most other creatures are pretty good at it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-guy-not-get-scurvy-eskimo-diet-q/512704.md?page=2)