The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-04-03
ALL ABOUT QUINiNE.

Before You Take Your Dose.
The introduction Of cinchona into
European Pharmacop9ia is Of COM
paratively recent date. The story runs
that the Countess of Cinchon. vice-Queen
Of Peru, was low down with lingering
feeer, and that native physicians pre-
scribed certain bark that grew in the
neighborhood for the fair patient. Tho
Countess recovered, and never ceased to
praise the wonderful bark to which she
gave fame and a name. This was about
1878. But properties OF cinchona as
tonic and febrifuge were not gener-
ally known in Europe until the latter
part Of the seventeenth century.
For considerably more than hundred
years, the people Of Europe were wholly
at the mercy OF one or two South Amer.
lean States for their supply of cinchona.
! say ''at the mercy because the guam
tity and price OF quinine was practically
regulated by the action Of these erratic
Slaves. Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador were
wrangling or fighting with one another
most Of the time for long series Of
years. When the natives were fighting,
no bark could be shipped out Of the
country. The price Of quinine would
then Jump up at the rate Of one and two
dollars pound within fortnight. Be
sides these petty States monopolized the
bark trade in q severe fashion. They
compelled the poor bark-gatherer to sell
his stuff for whatever price they chose
to give him. At present the South Amer
can States levy duty on all bark ex-
ported.
The Dutch were the first to break the
South American monopoly Of the elm
chona trade. They found that the tree
would grow in the East India Islands.
Then the English government sent out
several expeditions to investigate the
whole subject and to see whether or not
trees could be transplanted. After .
number Of trials they found also that
the tree would flourish in northern India.
All these different experiments showed
that it was easy to grow the cinchona
tree, but it also proved that it was not
easy to grow the right kind OF bark. 1t
is surprising how banks of the same
species vary in their medicinal proper
ties. The banks look SO much alike that
often chemical analysis is required to
tell their medicinal values. Some banks
yield as high as thirteen per cent. Of
alkaloids, while others show hardly q
trace Of them. Generally speaking, the
value of cinchona depends upon the
amount OF alkaloid yielded. Quinine is
the most constant and most abundant
constituent. The alkaloid known as
quinidine is the rarest. The preparation
used in medicine is the alkaloid quinine
in the form of sulphate.
The species known as c. Calisaya con-
tains more quinine than any other. 1t
grows in the thick, rank, tropical forests
Of Bolivia and South Peru. where it is
gathered with much labor aud difficulty
by the natives. There are two varieties
| of calisaya-one is small, shrub-Iike
growth; the other is large. tall tree.
The last variety is said to be the best.
The season for gathering the bark be-
gins in August and lasts till October or
November. according to the weather.
After the bark is stripped from the tree,
1t has to be thoroughly dried. Then it
is packed in ceroons Of moistened cow
hide or in bales of heavy sacking. Most
Of these bales are stamped or branded
with the dealers name or trade mark.
1t Is said that certain brands have ac-
quired considerable reputation in the
trade. and any bark in the bales SO
marked can be relied on. 1t is also said
that there is good deal of sharp prac-
tice in the cinchona bark trade, as in.
ferior or worthless barks are sometimes
skilifuNy mixed with good barks and
| sometimes branded with a good trade
mark. Hence, l am told that all the
imports of bark, brand or no brand,
name or no name, are analysed before
they are accepted.
The quinine trade abroad and in the
United States is practically in the hands
Of monopoly or combination. The
great factory for preparing cinchona
bark LOT medicinal purposes is located
in Mannheim, Germany. J. Vance,
in Once . Week.