THE TREE THAT BEARS QUININE. 103 



The drying is thus accomplished, at the lowest possible temperature, 

 without detriment to its chemical qualities. After this it may be 

 stored without danger of deterioration. 



3. The medicinal alkaloids contained in the bark are quinine, 

 cinchonidine, quinidine, and cinchonine. Quinine has long been re- 

 garded as by far the most important of these, being the great specific 

 for malarious fevers. The price of bark in the market has conse- 

 quently varied with the amount of quinine it was found to contain, 

 with very little reference to the other alkaloids. Careful experiments 

 have shown that all these alkaloids possess a very high medicinal value, 

 but little if at all inferior to quinine. 



Malarious fevers, prevailing so extensively throughout India, and 

 especially among the lower classes, the high price of quinine has ren- 

 dered it absolutely prohibitory to the masses. Consequently, the Gov- 

 ernment has turned its attention to the production of an article that 

 should contain, as far as possible, all the febrifuge qualities of quinine, 

 at a rate so moderate as to come within the reach of all. This benevo- 

 lent object has been fairly reached in the production of what is known 

 as amorphous quinine, or cinchona alkaloid, which sells at about fifty 

 cents per ounce, while quinine is held at from three to five dollars per 

 ounce. The products of the government cinchona-gardens are largely 

 employed in the manufacture of this drug. 



The method of preparation is extremely simple. The bark, roughly 

 pulverized, is macerated in cold water acidulated with sulphuric acid, 

 until its properties are quite exhausted. Its resulting liquor is pre- 

 cipitated by a caustic alkali potash. The precipitate is then dried, 

 pulverized, and sealed in tin boxes of a pound each. The powder is 

 of a dull whitish color, very light, almost insoluble in water, but dis- 

 solves readily in acidulated water. At the time of issuing the last 

 report, one hundred and forty thousand ounces of this febrifuge were 

 being produced from the Himalaya gardens. 



4. At , an early period extensive experiments were instituted to 

 ascertain the relative curative value of the different alkaloids. One 

 commission, consisting of sixteen prominent medical officers, reported 

 as follows : 



Treated by cinchonine, 410 cases. Cured, 400, failed, 10. 

 " . " cinchonidine, 359 " " 346, " 13. 



" " quinidine, 376 " " 365, " 11. 



The experiment was then varied, in which the alkaloids were pitted 

 against quinine. The number of fever-cases treated was 2,472, with 

 2,445 cures and 27 failures. The ratio of failure per 1,000 was as 

 follows :. 



Treated by quinine . . . . . . . ratio of failure 7*092 



" " quinidine " " 5*024 



" " chinchonidine . . . . " " 9926 



" " cinchonine " " 23*255 



