It was the worst month of Douglas Mosson's life. He'd lost 19 sled dogs so far,

as well as two close friends, men he had been to the ends of the world with.

It was January 1913, and he was staggering alone on the open ice of an article.

The sun was glaring into his eyes 24 hours straight, blinding him day after day after day,

and he was still nowhere near the rescue point.

Given how numb he was, Mosson had barely noticed at first that his feet felt lumpy and sore.

Then they started squishing each step, like rain soaked boots.

Finally, the pain grew too acute to endure, so he sat down on the ice,

peeled off six layers of socks, and watched the soles of his feet peel off along with them.

The skin there simply came apart at the seams, leaving the soles dangling like something

you'd fry up in a pan. Pretty soon the skin on his ears was also flaking off,

in full casts like the molded skin of a lizard. Even worse, his testicles and penis began shedding

skin right down to the red raw dermis. Mosson did not note he was an explorer and a geologist,

not a biologist, but the reason for his peeling feet and ears could be traced to his diet.

In particular, to revolt inside his cells for consuming too much vitamin A.

From the Science History Institute, this is Sam Keane and the Disappearing Spoon,

a Topsy, Turvy, Science History Podcast, where footnotes become the real story.

Douglas Mosson's team was one of four scientific units exploring Antarctica that season,

starting in November 1912. Most of the men were Australian, as was Mosson himself.

At age 30, Mosson had a sharp, smooth face, although he grew a beard in Antarctica.

He commanded three sledges, 19 Huskies, and two other men. One man was British Army

Lieutenant Belgrave Ninnis. Ninnis was 24, all though he looked about 12. In pictures,

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