Scurvy
A disease of long voyages and winters on salted food, with swollen legs and rotting gums. Its cause, a lack of vitamin C, was unknown at the time.
Winter at Stadacona and the Cedar Cure
Jacques Cartier’s second voyage, Brief récit (Paris, 1545), on the winter of 1535–1536 at Stadacona · events of December 1535 to April 1536; printed 1545
Car les uns perdoient la soutenue, et leur devenoient les jambes grosses et enflées, et les nerfs retirés, et noircis comme charbon, et aucunes toutes semées de gouttes de sang, comme pourpre. Puis montoit la dite maladie aux hanches, cuisses, espaules, au bras et au col. Et à tous venoit la bouche si inefcte et pourrie par les gencives que toute la chair en tomboit jusqu'à la racine des dents, lesquelles tomboient presque toutes.
Some lost all their strength, and their legs grew thick and swollen, and the sinews drew tight and turned black as coal. On some, the legs were spotted all over with drops of blood, purple in color. Then the sickness climbed up into the hips, thighs, shoulders, arms, and neck. In everyone the mouth grew so foul and rotten at the gums that all the flesh fell away down to the roots, and nearly all the teeth fell out.
Un jour notre Capitaine voyant la maladie si émue, et ses gens si fort épris d'icelle, estant sorti hors du Fort, et soy promenant sur la glace, apperçut venir une bande de gens de Stadaconé, en laquelle estoit Domagaya, lequel le Capitaine avoit veu depuis dix ou douze jours fort malade de la propre maladie qu'avoient ses gens: car il avoit l'une de ses jambes aussi grosse qu'un enfant de deux ans, et tous les nerfs d'icelle retirez, les dents perdues et gâtées, et les gencives pourries et infectes.
One day our captain saw the sickness spreading so and his men so badly stricken by it. He had gone out of the fort and was walking on the ice. He saw a band of people coming from Stadaconé, and among them was Domagaya. Ten or twelve days before, the captain had seen him very sick with the very same sickness his men had. One of his legs was as thick as a two-year-old child, with all its sinews drawn tight. His teeth were lost and ruined, and his gums rotten and foul.
The First Winter and Squanto's Corn
William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, on the winter and spring of 1620–1621 (written in the 1630s–1640s) · events of the winter and spring of 1620–1621; written about 1630–1650
But that which was most sadd & lamentable was, that in 2. or 3. moneths time halfe of their company dyed, espetialy in Jan: & February, being ye depth of winter, and wanting houses & other comforts; being infected with ye scurvie & other diseases, which this long vioage & their inacomodate condition had brought upon them; so as ther dyed some times 2. or 3. of a day, in ye foresaid time; that of 100. & odd persons, scarce 50. remained.
But what was most sad and lamentable was that in two or three months half of their company died, especially in January and February, the depth of winter. They lacked houses and other comforts, and were infected with scurvy and other diseases, which this long voyage and their poor condition had brought upon them. So at that time sometimes two or three died in a day, so that of a hundred and some persons, scarcely fifty remained.