The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-06-29
THE HISTORY OF QUININE,

From the Chicago Herald.
His grace the Duke of Fife, who is a
chemist as well as a politician and a
banker to boot, has recently commu-
nicated to the world all that he knows,
and practically all that is known, con-
corning that life-Saving alkaloid, quiz
nine. AS was BETTING such an inter
esting subject and such an interesting
lecturer, the duke was accorded the
Royal Institution, London's scientific
holy of holies, in which to expOund his
theories and disseminate the fruits Of
his research. The Marquis of Lorne
runs Fife very close in the digging up
of popular subjects and it is a race be-
tween them as to who is the better
hand in working up paper which is
both interesting and couched in Ian
guage understood by the masses. Fife,
however, has held his own so far and
regard him as q good all-round man,
who, although a royal princess hus-
band, walks about with his eyes open
and allows few matters of interest to
escape him
On the subject of quinine the duke
says that if it is not exactly house
hold medicine" during the past few
years it has certainly become house
hold word. And perhaps no other drug
has history more varied and interest
ing. Peruvian bark first appeared in
the London pharmacopaia in 1877. Il
was, however, used in England at
least as early as the year 1856, and was
advertised for sale in 1858 as The ex-
cellent powder called by the name of
Jesuits powder. brought over by one
James Thomson, . merchant Of Ant
,werp."
But what is now universally known
as quinine-one of the most important
of the alkaloids-was not discovered
till 1911; nor was it obtained in a pure
state by complete separation from the
other constituents of the bark until
ten years afterward. Quite unscien-
titcally, quinine may be described as
the base, or essential principle, of the
bark of certain individuals among the
cinchona family OF trees This bark
was first introduced into Europe in
1882, though it is generally said to have
been unknown there before the return
to Madrid of the Countess of Cinchon,
the wife Of the Niceroy OF Peru in
1910. This lady, from whom the bark
producing trees derive their botanical
name, had been cured by IL Of fever
contracted in Lima in 1865, and her
physician, by whom she was accom-
panied 70 Europe, not unnaturally
made much of the woodworking
medicine
But the Jesuits who had settled ia
Peru Were quite aware Of it's virtues at
en- earlier date They were. at all
events, the chief agents OF its distribu-
ton in Europe. the powder obtained
from the bark being then generally
known as ''Jesuits' powder" In Mad
rid it was called Countess powder, and
in Rome Pulvis Patrum- Prom the lat
ter city it speedily found It's way to
Brussels and Antwerp, where u was
sold for its weight in silver, or about
ten times the then price OF opium In
IfNs twenty doses OF the powder were
sent from Rome 20 Paris az cost of
asa, and Cardinal Mazarin recon-
mended its use IN q dangerous illness
Of Louis XIV. That Peruvian bark was
administered 10 the French king IS IN
doubted. but al interesting piece Of
historical evidence points 20 a different
source as the means 81 is Introduction
70 that court In 1872 = weIi-kno<n
London physician named Tabor cured
Charles II Of tsrtizn fever. with the
now famous bark, which Re regarded
in the haacs OF skilled persons 'As =
noble and safe medicine" Compared
with the nature Of the elixir which
had been n all good faith compounded
for James for similar disterper.
the new drug was indeed worthy o.
sSrirztion- The fame u Charles plhv-
sicizn extended 20 France and Louis
XIV.'s surgeon pablishsd al account
% Tai bor's treatment which ras trzaE-
lated into Errlish- entitled ''Tsibor's
Wonderful Secret for Caring % Agnes
Ind Feve-S"
Tae prevalence and severity q these
disease. down 20 the cad % tbe seven
tenth century. caused thcz % - -
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