Avoiding the dire straits; an inquiry into food provisions and scurvy in the maritime and military history of China and wider East Asia.

9783447058728

Avoiding the dire straits; an inquiry into food provisions and scurvy in the maritime and military history of China and wider East Asia.

Torck, Mathieu.

Harrassowitz

2009

280 pages

$63.00

Hardcover

East Asian economic and socio-cultural studies; East Asian maritime history; 5

RC627

Torck (languages and cultures of Southeast Asia, Gent University, Belgium) set himself the task of uncovering Chinese records on the provisioning of soldiers and sailors along with incidences and treatments among them for scurvy. The story of his search is as interesting as the conclusions. Torck investigates records of provisions for junk boats, merchant ships and military campaigns. He also read through several Chinese medical texts. He gives a general background on scurvy first. Then he edits and translates some important Chinese medical writings, adding explanatory notes. The next section covers Chinese, Japanese and Korean maritime activities, including the long distance voyages of Zheng He. Torck adds a chapter on fresh water stores. He also follows the introduction of Western ideas of medicine. Finally he reconstructs the Chinese sailor's diet, noting that green tea and pickled vegetables, particularly cabbage, may have prevented the outbreaks of scurvy that occurred on Occidental ships.

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