Englishbane
noun
scurvy was the bane of seamen two centuries ago:
scourge, ruin, death, plague, ruination, destruction;
torment, torture, menace, suffering, pain, distress, hardship, cross to bear, burden, thorn in one's flesh/side, bitter pill, affliction, calamity, despair, trouble, misery, woe, tribulation, misfortune, nuisance, pest, headache, trial, blight, curse, nightmare.