Copyright mirror
A British scientist died after drinking gallons of carrot juice in a bizarre experiment that ended in tragedy. Dr Basil Brown, 48, from Croydon, south London, was described as a “health food enthusiast” devoted to clean living and natural diets. But his obsession with vitamins spiralled out of control when he began consuming huge amounts of carrot juice and vitamin A tablets in a self-prescribed regime that proved deadly. Reports from the time — including The New York Times and medical summaries published later — revealed Brown drank around ten gallons of carrot juice in just ten days, washing it down with concentrated vitamin A supplements. The result was catastrophic. Doctors said the extreme intake caused vitamin A poisoning, which destroyed his liver and led to fatal organ failure. A coroner later reported his liver showed damage similar to that found in long-term alcohol abuse. The official verdict at the 1974 inquest was stark: “Death from carrot-juice addiction.” When Brown was examined, his skin had turned a yellowish-orange colour — a telltale sign of carotene build-up. The pigment from the carrots, normally harmless, had overwhelmed his body’s ability to cope. Brown genuinely believed his strict diet would improve his health and vitality. For years, he had promoted natural food and vitamin use, convinced that high doses of nutrients could cleanse the body and prevent disease. But by massively overloading his system, he triggered hypervitaminosis A — a toxic condition that can cause severe liver damage, headaches , and even comas. Medical experts later explained that vitamin A is fat-soluble, meaning the body stores it in the liver rather than flushing out any excess. Once the organ reaches capacity, the vitamin turns toxic, effectively poisoning the system from within. Nutrition specialists still cite Brown’s death as one of the most extraordinary cautionary tales in medical history — a case that proved that even natural foods can be dangerous in extreme amounts. Carrots and vitamin A are essential for good vision and healthy skin in small doses. But for Brown, his well-intentioned “super-health” experiment became a lethal obsession. He was a qualified nutritionist and self-taught scientist who genuinely believed in the healing power of vitamins. He’d lectured on diet and natural medicine, written pamphlets on healthy living and often warned others about the dangers of processed foods. Friends later said his passion for wellness sometimes bordered on obsession, as he experimented on himself to test his theories. Fifty years on, his story remains a chilling reminder that too much of a good thing can be deadly — and that even the simplest vegetables can kill when taken to extremes.
