Scurvy and its Anaemia

Coming into contact with a case with clinical features of severe scurvy but having haematological features almost indistinguishable from severe pernicious anaemia, and yet obtaining an immediate and rapid haematological response to treatment with ascorbic acid, prompted me to consult the literature on the subject. Each new article read appeared to contradict the former so that I came away perplexed and confused. This confusion was easy to appreciate as deficiency of one vitamin usually means a deficiency in many other essential requirements. Consequently I felt that the dramatic haematological response was purely the result of supplying the necessary factor, in a case of nutritional macrocytic anaemia. This necessary factor was present in the full hospital diet given.

Grantor

Department of Medicine

Year dc:date.issued

1950

Author dc:creator

• Stewart, Brian Bronte

• Scurvy

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/11427/31924

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/31924