Abstract
Set among the nineteenth-century race to the poles, this is a tale of extreme hardship, bravery, and incredible ingenuity. Less well-known than Shackleton's or Amundsen's historical recounts of attempts at triumphing Antarctica, this book brings to life the story of the Belgian expedition to Antarctica aboard the Belgica and its crew’s attempt at being the first to overwinter in this forbidding continent. In a highly detailed account, Julian Sancton provides great insight into their voyage and how the crew defied the odds in the face of subfreezing temperature, hunger, desolation, and most interestingly, death from an unknown condition that most likely was scurvy.
One of the story's protagonists stands out above all others. Dr Frederick Cook was the expedition physician, naturalist, and photographer. A somewhat controversial character due to late life troubles, Dr Cook is the hero of this narrative. He was an American physician from New York who tragically lost his wife and child prior to the expedition. In a likely attempt to escape his sorrow, Dr Cook joined the Belgica's crew in Brazil and quickly became one of its most valued members. Chronicled throughout the book, he revealed great heroism and would spark excitement in any wilderness physician as well as those aspiring to be.
One example of this heroism came in the face of the constant Antarctic darkness. As the crew of the Belgica grew increasingly despondent, Dr Cook hypothesized that “the sun seems to supply an indescribable something which controls and steadies the heart, in its absence it goes like an engine without a governor.” This poetic description of this enigmatic condition likely alluded to seasonal affective disorder, and he astutely prescribed the men a “baking treatment” in which they were required to stand by the fire with eyes affixed upon the flames in possibly the first form of light therapy.
In another example, as the crew grew ill with various symptoms to suggest organ failure, Dr Cook suspected something was amiss in their diet. Having studied and lived among the Inuit people (whose diet is devoid of fresh fruits and vegetables for long periods), Dr Cook shrewdly prescribed the men a diet of raw seal and penguin meat. Following these therapies, the men's health dramatically improved. Dr Cook potentially saved the entire voyage. We now know the men were suffering from scurvy. Later research revealed that, unlike humans, select mammalian (such as seal, caribou, walrus) and avian (eg, penguins) species have evolved biosynthetic pathways for ascorbic acid production.
These are just a few instances of the many trials the crew overcame. The challenges seemed almost endless as the ship was stuck in a pack of sea ice for over a year in the darkest and harshest conditions Earth has to offer, but the crew consistently responded with resilient courage.
The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration is rich with alluring stories of perseverance in the face of extreme adversity. This allure led to a period in which I would devour any book with polar exploration–related content. I even traveled to Svalbard and Antarctica to practice shipboard medicine. However, I picked up this book having known nothing about the Belgica and its fate, and I am very grateful I did. While the book is historical nonfiction, it reads like a fictional thriller. It is nearly impossible to put down. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of polar exploration and human response to adversity and extreme environments or to anyone with enthusiasm for wilderness medicine and its historical origins.