'Citrus fruit, Plate 184 of 'Medical botany', 1793.
It took centuries to find effective cures for scurvy and malaria, two of the greatest plagues in human history.
After some experiments and observations on British seamen’s diet, 18th-century naval surgeon James Lind (1716-1794) made a breakthrough.
Lemons and oranges were a simple and yet powerful antidote against the devastating effects of scurvy, he found.
Quinine
The discovery of quinine as a remedy against malaria resulted from George Cleghorn's (1716-1789) researches on the diseases of the Mediterranean
The substance was obtained from the bark of the cinchona tree and its efficacy as a cure and preventative treatment helped eradicate the illness from Europe.
An ABC of Scotland
Vaccines was just one of the 'V' topics in our alphabetical exhibition celebrating some of the outstanding achievements by Scotland and Scots.
'Wha's like us?' ran from 13 December 2013 to 18 May 2014.