Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-14
IN ENORMOUS QUANTITIES
Quinine Has Never Been as Much Used as It
is Now
Produced in Java and India For.
merIy All Came From Peru
Cheaper Than Ever.


From the Scientific American.
1t is estimated that during and since the
with Spain over 125,000,000 grains of
Quina have been issued 10 American SOL
Giers suffering with fever. In some cases
men who were in the hospitals were dosed
with as much as 300 grains per week, and
almost every man in the army took the
drug at some period of his service, either
for its curative of preventive effect. Yet.
large a. the figures are, they are hardly
as surprising those for the entire popu-
laton of the United States. We are a race
of quinine eaters, and the people of this
country consume one-third of the quinine of
the world. Although such doses as prevail
ed in Cuba and Porto Rico are seldom taken
in the states. there are few people here who
do not at some time during the year take
quinine in some form or other. The drug is
used in the preparation of many patent
medicines tonics. bitters, cold cures, etc;
even in hair tonic for external application.
The official figures of the Treasury Depart
nent show that last year there were inn
ported into the United States 1889 056,I 80
grains of quinia. This means consump-
ton of something like 20 grains for every
man, woman and child, as there were prac-
tically no exports of this article.
The cinchona tree, which furnishes quiz
nine, Peruvian bark and calisaya bark, is
a native of the western South American
coast countries, more particularly Peru;
yet but comparatively small portion of
the worlds product now comes from that
region. For many years all the quinne of
commerce came from the wild trees of
Peru, but with the present great demand.
the refined product obtained from the wild
trees of its native habitat would supply but
a small proportion of the worlds require
mentS. At the present time tWo-thirds of
the qunine used is produced in Java, an
island of the East Indian archipelago, cor
responding closely in size to Cuba, and
having with it many features of soil and
climate IN common. The history of Gin
chona culture in Java is interesting For
thirty years the Dutch government, which
owns Java, was urged to undertake in the
island the Introduction of this plant from
Peru, and finally, in 1852, it employed the
botanist Hassharl to explore the cinchona
forests of Peru. He procured large num-
Der of varieties and took them to Java,
where plantations We're started. which have
succeeded to the extent already indicated
The government of India was not to be be-
hind in this matter. and the cnchona plan
tations and factories of that region produce
now their share of this important drug
plorers to find and import new and rare
plants is shown in the early efforts of the
Indian government to secure cinchona trees.
Seven years of governmental correspond
ence failed to secure a single living plant of
this species, when the government engaged
Clement r. Markham to visit the noun
tains of Peru, at the risk of his life. and
he succeeded in establishing in the British
East Indies in single year 9,732 cinchona
trees
The price of quinine has, of late years.
steadily decreased, that now it is con-
sidered a cheap drug. In 1897 the import
price in the United States was a little over
16 cents per ounce. When it is considered
that ounce avoidupois contains 43Ils
grains, it is seen that the quinine in
dozen two-grain capsules does not cost
much. The total value of refined quinine
and cinchona bark imported into the United
States last year was S125,457