Vitamin C contributing to the more severe symptoms of scurvy. More generally, the biochemical role of vitamin C is to act as an antioxidant (a reducing agent) by donating electrons to various enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions. Doing so converts vitamin C to an oxidized state - either as semidehydroascorbic acid or dehydroascorbic acid. These compounds can be restored to a reduced state by glutathione and NADPH-dependent enzymatic mechanisms. In plants, vitamin C is a substrate for ascorbate peroxidase. This enzyme utilizes ascorbate to neutralize toxic hydrogen peroxide (HO) by converting it to water (HO). Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency
House System at the California Institute of Technology the name Ricketts to the disease rickets and the fact that scurvy is another vitamin deficiency disease. Members of Ricketts Hovse were known as "Rowdies" until about 1960; alumni of that period still draw the distinction between "Rowdies" and "Skurves". Ricketts House is traditionally one of the most diverse houses on the campus. Ricketts traditions include fire related activities and the brakedrum. Prior to early 2003, the Ricketts courtyard housed a large concrete firepot, in which massive fires were often enjoyed during cool Pasadena evenings. The courtyard originally featured a large Italian marble well head (historically attributed to and named