Because of what ingredient of a grog did the replacement of the Royal Navy's traditional "ration of beer" by a "ration of grog" have a beneficial effect on the general health of British sailors in the 18th and 19th century (the French kept getting their rations of beer and lost the battle of Trafalgar)?

guitargoddess

Citrus juice, usually lemon or lime. The Vitamin C helped ward off disease, especially scurvy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grog Dec 26 08, 1:15 PM

edmund80

Also, the citrus juice was originally added to cut down on the foulness of the water that in turn was added to dilute the rum given to the sailors. Rum dilution was done to minimize the ill effects of the alcohol, as the sailors tended to binge on that drink. "Citrus juice (usually lime or lemon juice) was added to the recipe to cut down on the water's foulness. Although they did not know the reason at the time, Admiral Edward Vernon's sailors were healthier than the rest of the navy, due to the daily doses of vitamin C that prevented disease (mainly scurvy)." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grog Dec 26 08, 3:22 PM