Scurvy is on the rise

One large orange is enough to provide you with the vitamin C needed for your body every day

The numbers are very small, but scurvy is on the rise in England, according to official figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

In the year up to April 2014, it was the primary diagnosis behind 16 hospital admissions and the primary or secondary cause of 94 admissions.

Between 2009 and 2014, admissions related to scurvy went up by 27%.

During the 18th century scurvy killed more British sailors than enemy action.

In the 1740s, a British voyage to the Pacific lost 1,300 men out of a 2,000-strong crew within 10 months of leaving port.

Richard Walter, the chaplain on the voyage, described the terrible suffering of the men, noting their ulcers, blackened skin, revolting gum disease and rotten breath.

They were, literally, dying for vitamin C.

When they reached land, it was celery, cabbage and plants which helped them recover. Future voyages carried dried vegetables, fruit and palm wine and sauerkraut to help ward off the dreaded scurvy and in 1752 a Scottish doctor, James Lind, found proof that citrus had a rapid beneficial effect.

Today, we are in a far better position thanks to improvements in standard of living and diet - but that doesn't mean there aren't pockets of people still at risk.

Warning signs of scurvy can include tiredness, muscle and joint pain and bleeding or swelling of the gums.

Cases of scurvy are rare and isolated, but small numbers of children are being diagnosed with vitamin C deficiency, which is generally related to "very fussy eating".

Eating one large orange, a bowl of strawberries or a single kiwi fruit is enough to provide you with the vitamin C needed for your body every day.