Simpson proved an excellent lecturer, and in meteorology and in the explanation of the many instruments with which his corner of the hut was full he possessed subjects which interested and concerned everybody.  Nelson on Biological Problems and Taylor on Physiography were always interesting.  “Taylor, I dreamt of your lecture last night.  How could I live so long in the world and not know something of so fascinating a subject!” Thus Scott on the morning following one of these lectures.[142] Wright on Ice Problems, Radium, and the Origin of Matter had highly technical subjects which left many of us somewhat befogged.  But Atkinson on Scurvy had an audience each member of which felt that he had a personal interest in the subject under discussion.  Indeed one of his hearers was to suffer the advanced stage of this dread disease within six months.  Atkinson inclined to Almroth Wright’s theory that scurvy is due to an acid intoxication of the blood caused by bacteria.  He described the litmus-paper test which was practised on us monthly, and before and after sledge journeys.  In this the blood of each individual is drawn and various strengths of dilute sulphuric acid are added to it until it is neutralized, the healthy man showing normal 30 to 50, while the man with scorbutic signs will be normal 50 to 90 according to the stage to which he has reached.  The only thing which is certain to stop scurvy is fresh vegetables:  fresh meat when life is otherwise under extreme conditions will not do so, an instance being the Siege of Paris when they had plenty of horse meat.  In 1795 voyages were being ruined by scurvy and Anson lost 300 out of 500 men, but in that year the first discoveries were made and lime-juice was introduced by Blaine.  From this time scurvy practically disappeared from the Navy, and there was little scurvy in Nelson’s days; but the reason is not clear, since, according to modern research, lime-juice only helps to prevent it.  It continued in the Merchant Service, and in a decade from about 1865 some 400 cases were admitted into the Dreadnought Hospital, whereas in the decade 1887 to 1896 there were only 38 cases.  We had, at Cape Evans, a salt of sodium to be used to alkalize the blood as an experiment, if necessity arose.  Darkness, cold, and hard work are in Atkinson’s opinion important causes of scurvy.

Nansen was an advocate of variety of diet as being anti-scorbutic, and Scott recalled a story told him by Nansen which he had never understood.  It appeared that some men had eaten tins of tainted food.  Some of it was slightly tainted, some of it was really bad.  They rejected the really bad ones, and ate those only which were slightly tainted.  “And of course,” said Nansen, “they should have eaten the worst.”