An Apple a Day

An Apple a Day keeps the Doctor Away – you may have heard the phrase more than once, as it has become so famous that translated versions circulate in a number of modern languages [“una mela al giorno toglie il medico di torno”]. More than three millennia before the concept of vitamins became common knowledge, ancient Egyptian and Babylonian text described a diet of liver to cure night blindness (Dowling & Wald, 1958). However, it took mankind a very long time to, from there, discover vitamins. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.