Xavier Mertz

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Xavier Guillaume Mertz (1883-1912) was a Swiss explorer, principally famous for his adventures in the Antarctic. He is also the first person whose cause of death was documented as 'Vitamin A poisoning' (see below).

Mertz was born in Basle, Switzerland. He graduated from the University of Leipzig and University of Berne, earning degrees in Law. He won the ski-running championship of Switzerland and proved himself an excellent mountaineer.

Antarctic expedition

Mertz became a member of the 1911-1914 Australasian Antarctic Expedition under the leadership of Douglas Mawson and company of Lieutenant B. E. S. Ninnis. The expedition's goal was to produce accurate, scientific maps from the Oates Coast to the Queen Mary Coast in Antarctica. At the expedition's main base in Adelie Land, Mertz cared for the Greenland sled dogs.

On November 10, 1912, Mawson, Ninnis and Mertz left the main base to survey King George V Land. Crossing the Ninnis Glacier, Ninnis fell through a snow-covered crevasse. Six dogs, most of the rations, the tent and other essential supplies fell into the deep abyss with Ninnis. Only ten days' worth of rations remained for the men, 315 miles' distance from the main base.

Returning to the main base was grueling for Mawson and Mertz. They fed on the dogs, which led to vitamin A poisoning from the dog livers. On January 1, 1913, Mertz developed stomach pains. Weakening, he eventually had to be hauled on sled by Mawson. On January 7, only a hundred miles southeast of the main base, Mertz fell into delirium and died.

Landmarks named after

Mertz Glacier - A glacier around 45 miles in length and a 20 mile average width. It juts into the Southern Ocean between Cape de la Motte and Cape Hurley. It was discovered during the Australian Antarctic Expedition. It includes the Mertz Glacier Tongue, the section of glacier that juts into the ocean.
Mertz-Ninnis Valley - An undersea valley located near the Mertz and Ninnis glaciers. It is also called the Adelie Depression and Mertz-Ninnis Trough.

Sources

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