At this point in the voyage, Cook…
August 1770 CE
At this point in the voyage, Cook has lost not a single man to scurvy, a remarkable and practically unheard-of achievement in eighteenth-century long-distance seafaring.
Adhering to Royal Navy policy introduced in 1747, Cook has persuaded his men to eat foods such as citrus fruits and sauerkraut.
It is known at this time that poor diet causes scurvy but not specifically that a vitamin C deficiency is the culprit.
Sailors of the day are notoriously against innovation, and at first the men would not eat the sauerkraut.
Cook had ordered it served to himself and the officers, and left an option for crew who wanted some.
Within a week of seeing their superiors set a value on it, the demand was so great a ration had to be instituted. (Cook's journal, April 113, 769.)
In other cases, however, Cook had been required to resort to traditional naval discipline.
Cook's general approach is essentially empirical, encouraging as broad a diet as circumstances permit, and collecting such greens as could be had when making landfall.
All onboard eat the same food, with Cook specifically dividing equally anything that could be divided (and indeed recommending that practice to any commander – Cook’s journal, August 4, 1770).
Two cases of scurvy do eventually occur on board—astronomer Charles Green and the Tahitian navigator Tupaia are treated—but Cook will be able to proudly record that upon reaching Batavia he had "not one man upon the sick list" (Cook’s journal, October 15, 1770), unlike so many voyages that reach that port with much of the crew suffering illness.