This article demonstrates the medicinal usage of ginseng in the West from 1660 to 1914. Asian[Korea] ginseng was first introduced into England in the early 17th century, and North American ginseng was found in the early 18th century. Starting from the late 17th century doctors prescribed ginseng to cure many different kinds of ailments and disease such as: fatigue general lethargy, fever, torpidity, trembling in the joints, nervous disorder, laughing and crying hysteria, scurvy, spermatic vessel infection, jaundice, leprosy, dry gripes and constipation, strangury, yellow fever, dysentery, infertility and addictions of alcohol, opium and tobacco, etc. In the mid-18th century Materia Medica began to specify medicinal properties of ginseng and the patent medicines containing ginseng were widely circulated. However, starting in the late 18th century the medicinal properties of ginseng began to be disparaged and major pharmacopoeias removed ginseng from their contents. The reform of the pharmacopoeia, influenced by Linnaeus in botany and Lavoisier in chemistry, introduced nomenclature that emphasized identifying ingredients and active constituents. Western medicine at this period, however, failed to identify and to extract the active constituents of ginseng. Apart from the technical underdevelopment of the period, the medical discourses reveal that the so-called chemical experiment of ginseng were conducted with unqualified materials and without proper differentiation of various species of ginseng.
Americas* ; Botany ; Chemistry ; Constipation ; Crying ; Dispensatories ; Dysentery ; England ; Fatigue ; Fever ; Hysteria ; Infertility ; Jaundice ; Joints ; Leprosy ; Lethargy ; Materia Medica ; Nonprescription Drugs ; Opium ; Panax* ; Scurvy ; Tobacco ; Yellow Fever

In this study, the skeletal abnormalities associated with scurvy in subadults crania from three archaeological skeletal collections (Nukdo, Imdang, Yeanri), South Korea was analyzed to examine the prevalence and distribution of childhood scurvy of ancient Korea. For this, 30 subadults crania from the Nukdo, Imdang, Yeanri site were examined. Using criteria described by Ortner and Ericksen (1997) for identifying scurvy in skeletal material we evaluated the cranial skeleton of the subadults for evidence of abnormal porosity. All skeletal materials were macroscopically evaluated for pathological changes associated with scurvy. In results, lesions indicative of probable scurvy were observed in 22 individuals of 30 individuals. Based on the results, childhood disease relating to nutrition and metabolism in ancient Korea might have been widespread, along with scurvy. The results of the present study will be useful for understanding the health condition of the ancient Korean populations. Future work will add significantly to the larger picture of diet and disease within populations of ancient Korea.
Diet ; Korea* ; Malnutrition ; Metabolism ; Paleopathology ; Porosity ; Prevalence ; Scurvy* ; Skeleton ; Vitamins

Ascorbic Acid ; administration & dosage ; Child ; Child Nutrition Disorders ; complications ; diet therapy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Femoral Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Femur ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Male ; Protein-Energy Malnutrition ; complications ; diet therapy ; Radiography ; Scurvy ; diagnosis ; diet therapy ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for maintaining human life. Vitamin C insufficiency in the plasma is closely related with the development of scurvy. However, in vivo kinetics of vitamin C regarding its storage and consumption is still largely unknown. METHODS: We used Gulo-/- mice, which cannot synthesize vitamin C like human. Vitamin C level in plasma and organs from Gulo-/- mice was examined, and it compared with the level of wild-type mice during 5 weeks. RESULTS: The significant weight loss of Gulo-/- mice was shown at 3 weeks after vitamin C withdrawal. However, there was no differences between wild-type and vitamin C-supplemented Gulo-/- mice (3.3 g/L in drinking water). The concentration of vitamin C in plasma and organs was significantly decreased at 1 week after vitamin C withdrawal. Vitamin C is preferentially deposited in adrenal gland, lymph node, lung, and brain. There were no significant changes in the numbers and CD4/CD8 ratio of splenocytes in Gulo-/- mice with vitamin C withdrawal for 4 weeks. And the architecture of spleen in Gulo-/- mice was disrupted at 5 weeks after vitamin C withdrawal. CONCLUSION: The vitamin C level of Gulo-/- mice was considerably decreased from 1 week after vitamin C withdrawal. Vitamin C is preferentially stored in some organs such as brain, adrenal gland and lung.
Adrenal Glands ; Animals ; Ascorbic Acid ; Brain ; Drinking ; Humans ; Kinetics ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Mice ; Plasma ; Scurvy ; Spleen ; Vitamins ; Weight Loss

Excessive oral and maxillofacial bleeding causes upper airway obstruction, bronchotracheal and gastric aspiration and hypovolemic shock. Therefore, the rapid and correct bleeding control is very important for saving lives in the emergency room. Despite the conventional bleeding control methods of wiring (jaw fracture, wound suture and direct pressure), continuous bleeding can occur due to the presence of various bleeding disorders. There are five main causes for excessive bleeding disorders in the clinical phase; (1) vascular wall alteration (infection, scurvy etc.), (2) disorders of platelet function (3) thrombocytopenic purpura (4) inherited disorders of coagulation, and (5) acquired disorders of coagulation (liver disease, anticoagulant drug etc.). In particular, infections can alter the structure and function of the vascular wall to a point at which the patient may have a clinical bleeding problem due to vessel engorgement and erosion. Wound infection is a frequent cause of postoperative active bleeding. To prevent postoperative bleeding, early infection control using a wound suture with proper drainage establishment is very important, particularly in the active bleeding sites in a contaminated emergency room. This is a case report of a rational bleeding control method by rapid wiring, wound suture with drainage of a rubber strip & iodoform gauze and wet gauze packing, in a 26-year-old male cerebral palsy patient with active oral and maxillofacial bleeding injuries caused by a traffic accident.
Adult ; Airway Obstruction ; Blood Platelets ; Cerebral Palsy ; Drainage ; Emergencies ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hydrocarbons, Iodinated ; Infection Control ; Male ; Mentally Disabled Persons ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic ; Rubber ; Scurvy ; Shock ; Sutures ; Wound Infection

There are five principal causes for excessive bleeding in the immediate postextraction phase ; (1) Vascular wall alteration (wound infection, scurvy, chemicals, allergy) (2) Disorders of platelet function (genetic defect, drug-aspirin, autoimmune disease) (3) Thrombocytopenic purpuras (radiation, leukemia), (4) Inherited disorders of coagulation (hemophilia, Christmas disease, vitamin deficiency, anticoagulation drug-heparin, coumarin). If the hemorrhage from postextraction wound is unusually aggressive, and then dehydration and airway problem are occurred, the socket must be packed with gelatine sponge(Gelfoam) that was moistened with thrombin and wound closure & pressure dressing are applied. The thrombin clots fibrinogen to produce rapid hemostasis. Gelatine sponges moistened with thrombin provide effective coagulation of hemorrhage from small veins and capillaries. But, in dental alveoli, gelatine sponges may absorb oral microorganisms and cause alveolar osteitis (infection). This is a case report of bleeding control by continuous rubber strip & iodoform gauze drainage (without gelfoam packing) of active bleeding infection sites of three teeth extraction wounds in a 46-years-old female patient with advanced liver cirrhosis.
Avitaminosis ; Bandages ; Blood Platelets ; Capillaries ; Dehydration ; Drainage ; Dry Socket ; Female ; Fibrinogen ; Gelatin ; Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable ; Hemophilia B ; Hemorrhage ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Hydrocarbons, Iodinated ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Porifera ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic ; Rubber ; Scurvy ; Thrombin ; Tooth ; Veins

Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Scurvy

Scurvy is very rare disease in industrialized societies. Nevertheless, it still exists in higher risk groups including economically disadvantaged populations with poor nutrition, such as the elderly and chronic alcoholics. The incidence of scurvy in the pediatric population is very low. This study reports a case of scurvy in a 5-year-old girl with cerebral palsy and developmental delay based on MRI findings.
Ascorbic Acid/blood/therapeutic use ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic/etiology ; Cerebral Palsy/complications ; Child, Preschool ; Cholecalciferol/blood ; Developmental Disabilities/complications ; Drainage ; Female ; Femur/pathology/radionuclide imaging/surgery ; Fever/etiology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma/diagnosis/etiology/surgery ; Humans ; Knee/radiography ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods ; Muscle Weakness/etiology ; Rare Diseases ; Scurvy/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Thigh/pathology ; Vitamins/therapeutic use

BACKGROUND: It is necessary for human beings to uptake vitamin C through diet or supplements. It is also well-known that vitamin C plays an important role in the prevention of scurvy, enhancement of collagen synthesis and anti-tumor immune response. In addition, there are several recent reports regarding the effective role of vitamin C on the regulation of allergic responses, such as atopic dermatitis and asthma. However, the effective therapeutic and preventive measures using vitamin C are not established yet, since vitamin C is seriously unstable in aqueous solution. Therefore, we have investigated the best way to maintain the stability of vitamin C. METHODS: After we making a mixture of polyphenol (0.001, 0.01, 0.1%) and vitamin C (1 mM), the mixtures were placed at room temperature both with/without light protection. And then the concentration of ascorbic acid was measured with HPLC. To analyze the in vivo effect of vitamin C on the regulation of skin allergic reaction, polyphenol (0.1%)-vitamin C (1 mM) mixture was applied to the skin and the production of histamine from mast cell was analyzed by Evans blue dye staining. RESULTS: We have found that the polyphenol has preventive power of oxidation of vitamin C. In addition, the production of histamine was suppressed by the polyphenol (0.1%)-vitamin C (1 mM) mixture. CONCLUSION: We have reached the conclusion that our study suggests the research guideline for the therapy of atopic dermatitis through vitamin C.
Ascorbic Acid* ; Asthma ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Collagen ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Diet ; Evans Blue ; Histamine ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Mast Cells ; Scurvy ; Skin* ; Vitamins*

PURPOSE: Subperiosteal orbital hematoma is rare, and most cases occur in children or young adults after direct facial or orbital trauma. Nontraumatic subperiosteal hemorrhage has been reported in association with systemic disease associated with leukemia, scurvy, sudden elevation of cranial venous pressure or venous congestion, and paranasal sinusitis. To our best knowledge, this is the first case of subperiosteal orbital hematoma associated with von Willebrand disease in Korea. METHODS: A 30-year-old woman experienced a sudden onset of proptosis, diplopia and decreased visual acuity. Clinical features, orbital CT and MRI established the diagnosis of subperiosteal hematoma of the orbit. The patient was treated with superior orbitotomy with hematoma evacuation. RESULTS: After the surgery, the patient's visual acuity completely recovered and proptosis disappeared. During follow-up periods, she was diagnosed to have von Willebrand disease.
Adult ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Diplopia ; Exophthalmos ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hyperemia ; Korea ; Leukemia ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Orbit* ; Scurvy ; Sinusitis ; Venous Pressure ; Visual Acuity ; von Willebrand Diseases* ; Young Adult