PROFESSOR DAVID’S VIEWS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8354, 14 February 1913, Page 8

PROFESSOR DAVID’S VIEWS

SCURVY PRIME CAUSE OF DISASTER. , SYDNEY, February 13.; Professor David, interviewed, said the idea that Captain Soott left the party and himself with too reduced rations had been quite disproved by the direct statement in Scott s diary regarding the details of the dash to the Polo working to perfection. That scurvy was the prime cause of the disaster was obvious from the following facts:—Evans and Atkinson, members of the ; supporting party of four dispatched back to . quarters, when Scott was within 170 miles of the Pole, contracted scurvy. The whole party previous to this separation had been subsisting on exactly similar rations, and Scott’s party existed on like rations from’January 3rd until their death: * Scurvy was still imperfectly understood; it was connected either with food: which was actively deleterious to the human system, as in the case of tainted bacon, which caused the scurvy among the Southern party of Scott’s .first expedition in 1902-03-, or with food that .was deficient in some Ingredients that were absolutely essential for the keeping of the body in health. That scurvy had actually attacked the Polar party seemed clear from Captain Scott’s diary, although the word “scurvy” was not expressly used. Professor David, in support of his contention, quotes the reference regarding the sickness of Seaman Evans nnd Captain Oates. It is not clear, however, whether Wilson, Bowers, and Scott were affected by scurvy. More than probably they had then, or had just previously, light attacks. Even if they had not had scurvy their health undoubtedly would have been weakened by the fact that they marched in long continuous gales and experienced very low temperatures, in which they would have been unable to perspire. “We found on the Shackleton expedition that perspiring very materially helped to keep us in good health,” said the professor. Had the party not been weakened by some kind of sickness they would surely have won through in spite of all the low temperatures and ail the blizzards. Referring to the shortage of fuel at the depots, Professor David states that Mr Bernard Day, who assisted in the laying of some of the depots, assures him that a full allowance of oil fuel was left at all the depots, hut the allowance which was officially fixed—one gallon for fonr men for ten hours—only barely suffices for cooking in warm weather. No doubt in the very severe weather encountered by Soott at the Great Ice Barrier in March this allow- ,< anoe would bo somewhat insufficient.