The worst journey in the world

A fantastic account of the tragic Scott Antarctic expedition of 1910 - 1913 written by Apsley Cherry-Gerrard, a member of the team, in 1922. I have the 2012 Folio Society edition. It includes many excerpts from the author's own diary and from those of Scott, Bowers, and Wilson. There are some beautiful photographs and extensive detailed discussion of every aspect of the continent, the sea, the wildlife, the men and their condition. Cherry-Gerrard wrote a laudably even-handed criticism of Scott and the techniques used by the expedition. There is a strong component of Edwardian stiff upper-lip heroism with frequent mention of how cheerful the sick were right up to the end. There is evidence of British class structure with the discussion of the death of seaman Evans being distinctly different from that of the officers. Of some medical interest - the team members understood that fresh fruits and vegetables could prevent scurvy, but the concept of a vitamin wasn't described until 1912 and the chemical structure of vitamin C wasn't known until the 1930s - some other older theories are held to by the team's doctors. Also, ptomaine poisoning is mentioned several times, since the idea that food poisoning was due to a bacteria-made toxin was not known then. Scott uses the abbreviation DV in his diary. I hadn't seen this, it is for Deo volente, God willing, as in if Evan's feet don't worsen we will make it to the next depot, DV. He also uses the expression Queer street. I've seen this before in some Sherlock Holmes stories and in Brideshead revisited. An example would be, if Evan's feet do worsen we will all be in Queer street. There are some maps in the text and a glossary at the back, so be sure to look for them when you wonder what sastrugi are.
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re:the possibility that Scott had scurvy see: www.idlewords.com/2010/03/scott_and_scurvy.htm