Scurvy is a disease caused by a deficiency of Vitamin C.   It was particularly common amongst sailors until Scottish surgeon James Lind proved that citrus fruit could combat it in 1753.   Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan both lost more than two thirds of their crews to the disease.   Scurvy causes blackened skin, ulcers, rictus, loss of teeth, respiratory problems, and abnormal gum growths that quickly rot.   Oddly, only primates and guinea pigs are susceptible, as other animals can synthesize Vitamin C.   The introduction of limes to sailors’ diets in the Royal Navy is believed to be the derivation of “limey”, the American pejorative name for a British person. 

The word Paradise originally signified a walled garden or orchard.  Throughout history the word has been used to describe a heavenly garden.

Crake's play on the word suggests he may have been trying to create a new Garden of Eden.

Spam is a canned cooked meat product sold in 41 countries worldwide. 

 

 

In the Middle Ages, those afflicted with leprosy would ring a bell to warn of their approach.

The Science of Purring

James Watson and Francis Crick, along with Maurice Wilkins, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962 for their work revealing the structure of DNA.