A six-year-old boy died from scurvy, the so‑called “sailor’s disease” common in the convict era, a coroner has found. Brisbane boy Connor Dean died after a cardiac arrest under general anaesthetic at Queensland children’s hospital in 2024. Deputy state coroner Stephanie Gallagher released her findings last month, ruling his fatal brain damage was most likely triggered by vitamin C deficiency and scurvy.
Issues with an unnamed multivitamin were also canvassed in the inquest. Scurvy was once common among sailors and convicts who went without fresh fruit and vegetables on long sea voyages. However, it is now so rare in Australia that serious cases are almost always found and treated.
Connor had Down syndrome, was born with a serious heart defect that was repaired in 2018, and had delayed development, speaking mostly in single words and walking with a wide‑based gait. In July 2024, he went to his GP, with his parents reporting he had knee pain and was limping. He was admitted to Queensland children’s hospital on 18 July, with X‑rays and MRIs failing to show a clear cause.
He then developed a bad cough and tested positive for parainfluenza as his oxygen levels and kidney function worsened. He suffered a cardiac arrest after being given general anaesthetic and died on 10 August. Scans of his skeleton later showed bone changes “in keeping with scurvy”.
Blood tests revealed a vitamin C level of less than 1 micromole a litre, compared with a normal range of 20 to 120 micromoles a litre. He was also low in vitamins A and E, had borderline low vitamin D and blood‑clotting problems that suggested vitamin K (potassium) deficiency. His paediatrician told the court he and dieticians had long‑standing concerns about the boy’s growth, with his height and weight well below the usual range, even for children with Down syndrome.
I believe that it is misleading to call this product a multivitamin when it misses essential vitamins such as Vitamin C,” the paediatrician said. The coroner agreed there was not enough evidence to say the multivitamin caused or contributed to the death. Instead, she focused on the failure to detect Connor’s severe vitamin C deficiency in time.
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