0 a disease caused by not eating enough of particular types of food that are necessary for good health: --
deficiency diseases, for example scurvy
There is little doubt that deficiency diseases, and particularly those of certain vitamins have, throughout the history of mankind, been a major cause of disease and death.
For example, the article on the vitamin deficiency disease beriberi speculates that it is caused by a fungus, vitamins not having been discovered at the time.
Micronutrient deficiency diseases have become rampant in these populations.
Thiamine is a special vitamin because as the cause of beriberi it is one of only four vitamins associated with a named pandemic deficiency disease.
Scurvy is a nutritional deficiency disease that can lead to death if not treated.
He questioned whether there could be a deficiency disease of the emotional life, comparable to a deficiency of vital nutritional elements within the developing organism.
If there is serious deficiency in one or more of these nutrients, a child may develop a deficiency disease.
As early as 1755, pellagra was recognized by doctors as being a niacin deficiency disease.
