Quinine

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

kwi'nin, or Peruvian bark, a white crystalline salt obtained from the bark of several South American cinchonas (sin-ko'nas). The various species are shrubs or little trees found in the Andean region. The pink and white flowers are fragrant and have deep tubular corollas. They are much frequented by humming birds. The extract is without color or odor, but is exceedingly bitter. It has been known since 1640 as a remedy for fever and colds. It was introduced by the Jesuits and was known at first as Jesuit powder. The discovery of quinine marks the beginning of modern medicine, i e., of remedies that kill germs and of preventive medicine. The government of India deemed a ready and cheap supply of quinine of such importance to the natives in fever-stricken districts that large sums of money were spent in efforts, finally successful, to transplant cinchona plants from the Andes. A five-grain capsule may now be had at any postoffice in British India for a native coin worth a cent and a half. The production of quinine is now well established in Ceylon, Dutch Java, and Jamaica. Sometimes the twigs are gathered, sometimes the tree is cut down, and sometimes the bark is removed in strips. When covered with moss the bare places heal quickly with bark as rich as ever, and the tree continues to produce indefinitely. About nine-tenths of the world's supply of quinine is now marketed at Batavia, the emporium of Java. Quinine auctions are held. The drug fetches from $2.50 to $4 a pound. An extract of willow is a substitute for quinine. See Cinchona ; Malaria ; Jenner ; Smallpox