Hot? Very hot? Boiling hot? Take a pill. If the pill is a vitamin C tablet, it will stave off heat prostration and muscle cramps, said Dr. John Henry Foulger of Du Pont.
Several summers ago, Dr. Foulger learned that Bantu miners in South Africa sweat out large quantities of vitamin C (found in oranges and lemons), frequently develop muscle weakness, even though they eat plenty of fresh fruits & vegetables. With this clue in mind, Du Pont doctors gave their workers two vitamin C tablets (ascorbic acid) a day, along with common salt tablets, to replenish the salt lost in perspiration....