John Woodall (1570–1643) was an English military surgeon, Paracelsian chemist, businessman, linguist and diplomat. He made a fortune through the stocking of medical chests for the East India Company and later the armed forces of England. He wrote ''The Surgeon's Mate'', the standard text to advise ships' surgeons about medical treatments while at sea. In the book he makes dietary recommendations which would have prevented the scourge of scurvy if they had been followed.
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