Early Settlements in Newfoundland and the Scourge of Scurvy

Two important archeological investigations currently underway in the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, at Cupids (established 1610) and Ferryland (1621), help to focus questions on health and health care in early seventeenth-century English settlements. This review looks at one aspect only, the problem of scurvy and what treatments were tried. In adding to our understanding of early colonial settlements and on how new medicinal plants were “discovered,” the Newfoundland story reveals a considerable interest in local plants as substitutes for scurvy grass. Suggestions are offered on how they may have been chosen and the rationales behind their use.