Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Scotland Edinburgh James Lind's Memorial Tablet

James Lind's Memorial Tablet

The world's first experimental nutritionist is memorialized as the "Hippocrates of naval medicine."

Edinburgh, Scotland

Added By
Rachel James
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Teviot Place entrance   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Medical School   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  Marta Bertolaso
  Marta Bertolaso
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

An affliction practically nonexistent these days due to its simple solution, scurvy was once the scurge of sailors, pirates, and anyone else spending an extraordinary amount of time on the high seas. Now known to be a simple vitamin deficiency, scurvy took the lives of thousands until it was discovered that it could be fought off with vitamin C, found in large quantities in citrus. Without the concept of "vitamins," people were forced to rely on fresh produce, not exactly readily available in the middle of the Atlantic.

While not the first to recommend the use of citrus fruit to fight off "sailor's disease," James Lind did groundbreaking systematic experimentation on the disease, and it was considered one of the first clinical experiments in the history of medicine. Lind performed a remarkably well-thought-out group study aboard a ship affected by scurvy. Dividing the sailors into pairs he made each pair take a different solution: seawater, cider, spices and barley water, vinegar, sulphuric acid, and fatefully lemons and oranges. It was clear after six days who the winner was (team fruit!)and who the losers were (acid!).

Shortly after, Lind published A Treatise of the Scurvy. Though he was virtually ignored at the time, one person was paying attention—Captain James Cook, the first mariner to make it around the world without losing a single crew member to scurvy.

Lind's long and successful medical career, which focused on seamen's health is memorialized at the Edinburgh Medical School. A plaque bearing Lind's face and a short list of his accomplishments is located on one of the outside walls of the university, presented in 1953 by the Sunkist Growers of Citrus Fruit of California and Arizona. Below his face, it identified him as the "Hippocrates of naval medicine."

Related Tags

Medicine Plaques Scurvy Memorials Naval History Monuments Memento Mori

Know Before You Go

The tablet is located in the main courtyard of the Edinburgh Medical School

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Scotland: Beyond the Haggis

Smoked seafood, single malt whisky, and warm hospitality.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Rachel

Edited By

SEANETTA, rbenn250

  • SEANETTA
  • rbenn250

Published

May 2, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lind
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scurvy
James Lind's Memorial Tablet
Edinburgh Medical School
Edinburgh, Scotland, EH8
United Kingdom
55.945133, -3.190807
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Medieval Water Pipes

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Edinburgh Anatomical Museum

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

'The Next Big Thing . . . is a Series of Little Things'

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Scotland

Places 184
Stories 7

Nearby Places

Medieval Water Pipes

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Edinburgh Anatomical Museum

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

'The Next Big Thing . . . is a Series of Little Things'

Edinburgh, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Scotland

Places 184
Stories 7

Related Places

  • Cape Otway, Australia

    Frederick Valentich Memorial Plaque

    A plaque at the lighthouse where Frederick Valentich made his last radio contact before he vanished without a trace.

  • Ceres, Scotland

    Vincenzo Lunardi Commemorative Plaque

    A stone memorial marking the location where Scotland's first aeronautical flight landed.

  • Tchorek plaque at the entrance of Edward Szymanski Park

    Warsaw, Poland

    Tchorek Plaques

    These plaques found across Warsaw commemorate the sites where executions or battles took place during the German occupation.

  • St. Augustine, Florida

    Andrew Young Crossing

    Bronze footprints mark the path where a civil rights leader tried to march in peaceful protest before being knocked unconscious.

  • The memorial plaque.

    Hartlepool, England

    Heugh Gun Battery Memorial Tablet

    This memorial honors the first British soldier killed by enemy action on home soil during World War I.

  • The annual Blessing of the Fleets ceremony.

    Washington, D.C.

    The Blessing of the Fleets Ceremony

    The fountains of the U.S. Navy Memorial are annually salted with water from the Seven Seas as part of a nautical ritual.

  • The memorial mainmast.

    Arlington, Virginia

    Joseph Marthon Memorial Mainmast

    The naval commander’s proudest moment in battle is memorialized in this unique tomb at Arlington Cemetery.

  • Civil War Nurses Memorial

    Washington, D.C.

    Civil War Nurses Memorial

    A bas relief commemorates the "Nuns of the Battlefield" who cared for soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.