"A Scottish naval surgeon runs a clinical trial on twelve sailors in 1747. The medical establishment ignores it for 48 years. The Admiralty mandates lemon juice in 1795. Scurvy vanishes from the fleet. Demand for lemons surges. Sicily, with its particular climate, becomes the dominant supplier. Profits flow into a society with centuries of compounded institutional failure. Private protection markets consolidate into organised crime."
I don't follow the reasoning. The mafia developed to take advantage of a particular situation that the distant, ineffective governments couldn't or wouldn't control. Why does this make the mafia a "criminal" organization? It extracts wealth by force. So do governments. It extorts the subjects. So do governments. It punishes those who break the rules. So do governments. And on, and on, and on.
At the very most basic level, there is no difference between the mafia and a government system. Both are established to gain control and power over the populace, using force and violence to impose their rule. In reality, the only difference is that in a so-called "civilized" society as seen in western-style democracies today, the average person thinks and believes that the government exists to protect and provide for him, and gives the extraction of wealth his blessing, while the mafioso system does not.
All systems which rely on force and violence to take wealth from individuals who are not able to defend themselves are, in principle, the same--whether a socially accepted government, a mafioso family, or a local street gang. The only real difference is one of scale and size.
While it seems safe to say that the lemons cured a deficiency, I am not sure the science is there to support the idea that Vitamin C cured the deficiency. There is a lot more to a lemon than just Vitamin C and the science of vitamins is sketchy. Perhaps you may want to look into the science of vitamins. I respect your research skills and would love to see you do that.
Good point. I’d like to see a decent comparison of health outcomes for those consuming lemons vs just taking vitamin c supplements. No doubt the lemons would be more beneficial, but the whys would be nice to have a clear picture of. From my understanding, vitamin c alone is helpful in high doses.
As a separate note, lemon/citrus juice is not the only food that is an antidote to scurvy. In general fresh food is an antidote, versus canned, preserved, overcooked food. It's also important to noted is that you can survive and thrive on fresh meat alone. I mention this because meat has a reputation of having little to no vitamin C and hence believed to cause scurvy if you ate nothing else.
I haven't tested the carnivore diet myself but I agree. Meat would have gotten the reputation of being associated with scurvy because when it's well cooked, canned, dried etc. it loses the C it had when raw or rare. The Arctic tribes, Dene, Inuit, Eskimo, eating their traditional raw diet of seafood, caribou, sea mammals, birds, eggs, and fermented proteins made by stuffing birds inside the meat of another animal and burying it (as described by author Farley Mowat) did not appear to get scurvy until processed foods reached them. And they often reached advanced age in good health, with intact teeth. That never happens today.
The underlying terrain in virtually every instance where this type of dynamic played or plays out is a disempowered populace, further victimized by institutionalized corruption at every level.
In all probability, those villages where organized crime and the corrupt couldn’t get its claws into the fabric of society were the ones where the population were capable of, and willing, to inflict retribution on any bad actor.
I love these little gems of history. Fascinating read
"A Scottish naval surgeon runs a clinical trial on twelve sailors in 1747. The medical establishment ignores it for 48 years. The Admiralty mandates lemon juice in 1795. Scurvy vanishes from the fleet. Demand for lemons surges. Sicily, with its particular climate, becomes the dominant supplier. Profits flow into a society with centuries of compounded institutional failure. Private protection markets consolidate into organised crime."
I don't follow the reasoning. The mafia developed to take advantage of a particular situation that the distant, ineffective governments couldn't or wouldn't control. Why does this make the mafia a "criminal" organization? It extracts wealth by force. So do governments. It extorts the subjects. So do governments. It punishes those who break the rules. So do governments. And on, and on, and on.
At the very most basic level, there is no difference between the mafia and a government system. Both are established to gain control and power over the populace, using force and violence to impose their rule. In reality, the only difference is that in a so-called "civilized" society as seen in western-style democracies today, the average person thinks and believes that the government exists to protect and provide for him, and gives the extraction of wealth his blessing, while the mafioso system does not.
All systems which rely on force and violence to take wealth from individuals who are not able to defend themselves are, in principle, the same--whether a socially accepted government, a mafioso family, or a local street gang. The only real difference is one of scale and size.
>At the very most basic level, there is no difference between the mafia and a government system.
Fully agree.
Avocados and cartels.
I love this succinct essay.
While it seems safe to say that the lemons cured a deficiency, I am not sure the science is there to support the idea that Vitamin C cured the deficiency. There is a lot more to a lemon than just Vitamin C and the science of vitamins is sketchy. Perhaps you may want to look into the science of vitamins. I respect your research skills and would love to see you do that.
Good point. I’d like to see a decent comparison of health outcomes for those consuming lemons vs just taking vitamin c supplements. No doubt the lemons would be more beneficial, but the whys would be nice to have a clear picture of. From my understanding, vitamin c alone is helpful in high doses.
As a separate note, lemon/citrus juice is not the only food that is an antidote to scurvy. In general fresh food is an antidote, versus canned, preserved, overcooked food. It's also important to noted is that you can survive and thrive on fresh meat alone. I mention this because meat has a reputation of having little to no vitamin C and hence believed to cause scurvy if you ate nothing else.
I haven't tested the carnivore diet myself but I agree. Meat would have gotten the reputation of being associated with scurvy because when it's well cooked, canned, dried etc. it loses the C it had when raw or rare. The Arctic tribes, Dene, Inuit, Eskimo, eating their traditional raw diet of seafood, caribou, sea mammals, birds, eggs, and fermented proteins made by stuffing birds inside the meat of another animal and burying it (as described by author Farley Mowat) did not appear to get scurvy until processed foods reached them. And they often reached advanced age in good health, with intact teeth. That never happens today.
Mafia is a masonic invention, the acronym stands for Mazzini Autorizza Furti Incendi e Avvelenamenti. Mazzini authorizes theft, arson, and poisoning.
The richest and culture of Sicily goes beyond your imagination.
Mafia is a U.S. criminal enterprise.
Ps The ai pictures are truly horrible.
Thanks Sol Son I had not heard that before.
The underlying terrain in virtually every instance where this type of dynamic played or plays out is a disempowered populace, further victimized by institutionalized corruption at every level.
In all probability, those villages where organized crime and the corrupt couldn’t get its claws into the fabric of society were the ones where the population were capable of, and willing, to inflict retribution on any bad actor.
Blessings and appreciation from Sydney Aus.