Learn the incredible and tragic story of Swiss polar explorer Xavier Mertz, the first documented case of death from vitamin A poisoning. Stranded during a harrowing Antarctica expedition in 1913, Mertz and his team were forced to eat their husky dogs. Discover why consuming the liver of a husky dog proved fatal: it contains incredibly high levels of fat-soluble vitamin A (retinoids), which is highly toxic to humans in large amounts. Understand the dangers of preformed vitamin A toxicity from sources like liver, compared to harmless carotenoids found in vegetables. Explore this historical tale of survival, the unique physiology of polar animals, and the surprising science behind vitamin A toxicity.
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00:00the first documented death from vitamin a poisoning occurred in 1913 the victim was
00:10swiss polar explorer xavier mertz and the cause was eating a husky dog mertz was part of an
00:16expedition mapping the interior of antarctica when a team member fell into a crevasse taking
00:21most of their sleds and half their dogs with them stranded and facing a 480 kilometer journey back
00:28to base with minimal provisions the surviving explorers were forced to eat the remaining dogs
00:34for sustenance this was particularly distressing for mertz who was a vegetarian both survivors
00:42eventually fell ill but mertz succumbed his death was not due to eating a dog generally
00:48but specifically because the dog was a husky huskies like seals and polar bears have evolved
00:56to process high amounts of vitamin a from their diet such as marine algae humans however lack this
01:03adaptation a mere 100 grams of husky liver contains enough vitamin a to be lethal to an adult human
01:12unlike water-soluble vitamins such as c vitamin a is fat soluble meaning the body does not easily
01:18excrete excess amounts leading to dangerous accumulation it's important to note that toxic
01:25symptoms arise specifically from consuming preformed vitamin a remnants like that found in liver and
01:31not from carotid forms which are present in vegetables like carrots