Life, Death, and the Vitamin Quest

[Season 4, Episode 3]

Imagine a time when people were getting sick and dying, sometimes large groups of people at the same time, and living in the same area. Although symptoms were similar in each case, the mysterious illnesses defied conventional cures. Nobody could pinpoint the problem. Maybe it was something in the environment, or an unknown virus or bacteria. Doctors tried various remedies, some typical, some bizarre. Still, the victims suffered in misery, or even died a horrific death.

Imagine the astonishment when people began to discover that something as simple as lemons or cod liver oil in the diet seemed to cure these horrible diseases. Why a lemon? Why cod liver oil? Why were specific foods needed to fix the problem?

Welcome to the world of vitamin discovery, where mysterious illnesses were eventually cured b ...