THE CLINICAL IMAGE OF SCURVY IN LIGHT OF THE STATEMENT OF JAN KŁOSSOWICZ, A SURGEON, FROM THE YEAR 1811

Issuing medical statements is important in the professional activity of doctors. A medical statement of the surgeon Jan Kłossowicz from 1811 is presented in the paper. In this statement, the clinical image of scurvy was presented. This disease has been known since the 13th century. It was found in the 16th century that lemon juice prevents and treats this disease. In 1928, the ascorbic acid active substance was isolated. The description of scurvy drawn by the surgeon Jan Kłossowicz was compared with the descriptions of this disease in medical textbooks from the early second half of the 19th century and the end of the 20th century. It was found that within the timespan of nearly 200 years the way in which the medical image of this disease is presented has not changed significantly. It was stressed that the medical statements concerning the state of health which were issued by doctors in previous centuries are a valuable source of information on the symptomatology of diseases.