Xavier Guillaume Mertz (1883-1913) 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).
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.
Mertz and Mawson now faced the impossible dilemma of attempting to return to safety without sufficient food. They fed on their sled 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 a 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.
