Lack Of Zinc May Have Caused Franklin Sailors' Death, According To A Toenail

First Posted: Dec 09, 2016 05:41 AM EST
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A new laser research on a toenail of one of the men from the Franklin expedition reveals another possible reason of the sailors' death.

CBC News reported that despite claims of lead poisoning that caused the 129 Franklin crew members' demise, a new discovery using a toenail of 19th Century British sailor John Hartnell suggests that the sailor may have died due to lack of zinc.

For the study, scientists Jennie Christensen and Laurie Chan used lasers and high-energy beams from the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon and synchrotron from the University of Saskatchewan to observe the toenail they got from the Museum of History in Ottawa and the Inuit Heritage Trust.

Using such equipment, they were able to find out Hartnell's health state, which was a severe lack of zinc. This nutrient deficiency may have caused the sailor's low immune system that eventually led to a deadly disease.

"That zinc deficiency would explain that he had a very low immune function," Chan explained. "In the tough environment, he probably contracted infections and died from [tuberculosis]."

They have also discovered that the sailors on the expedition were running low on food and supplies before it got stranded in ice. This may explain the previous claims of cannibalism among them.

"This is kind of like a Canadian myth," Chan added. "I get excited at the opportunity to work on it and talk about it. Being able to have the opportunity to work on this and try to contribute to solve this puzzle is an honour."

The expedition was set to head to Northwest Passage in 1845 but never returned. It was only until two years ago when its two ships, Erebus and Terror, were found, along with some remains by underwater archeologists.

This study was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

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