, ▁" S ick le ▁Cell ▁An emia , ▁a ▁M ole cular ▁D ise ase "). ▁ ▁Paul ing ▁arg ues ▁that ▁the ▁loss ▁of ▁vit amin ▁C ▁synth esis ▁first ▁arose ▁as ▁a ▁mole cular ▁disease , ▁because ▁of ▁a ▁gen etic ▁mut ation ▁that ▁resulted ▁in ▁the ▁loss ▁of ▁the ▁bio chem ical ▁capacity ▁to ▁make ▁the ▁vit amin , ▁but ▁because ▁di ets ▁of ▁the ▁prim ate ▁ancest ors ▁of ▁humans ▁consisted ▁of ▁high ▁levels ▁of ▁vit amin ▁C ▁from ▁plant ▁sources , ▁the ▁loss ▁of ▁that ▁bio chem ical ▁mechanism ▁was ▁not ▁harm ful ▁and ▁may ▁have ▁even ▁been ▁benef icial . ▁ ▁He ▁arg ues , ▁however , ▁that ▁the ▁subsequent ▁shift ▁to ▁a ▁high - me at , ▁lower - plant ▁di et ▁resulted ▁in ▁w ides p read ▁vit amin ▁C ▁def ic iency . ▁ ▁Research , ▁writing ▁and ▁revis ions ▁ ▁Paul ing ▁began ▁studying ▁vit amin ▁C ▁m ega - d os age , ▁and ▁orth om ole cular ▁medicine ▁more ▁broad ly , ▁after ▁he ▁was ▁contact ed ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 6 ▁by ▁bio chem ist ▁Ir win ▁Stone , ▁who ▁suggested ▁that ▁taking ▁enough ▁vit amin ▁C ▁would ▁let ▁him ▁live ▁another ▁fifty ▁years . ▁ ▁Paul ing ▁re inter pre ted ▁the ▁large ▁body ▁of ▁research ▁on ▁vit amin ▁C ▁based ▁on ▁compar ative ▁studies ▁of ▁the ▁bio chem ical ▁gen et ics ▁of ▁vit amin ▁C ▁synth esis ▁in ▁different ▁species , ▁as ▁well ▁his ▁own