June 2, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



897 



against the loss of alkaloids wheu the matter has to be 

 viewed as in Jamaica from a revenue point of view. In 

 India, the question is ditferent : the bark is comparatively 

 inexpensive to grow, the object of Government is not to 

 obtain revenue, but the philanthropic one of supplying 

 to the population a cheap and effective medicine. It can 

 therefore afford to be wasteful of the bark so long as 

 it is not actually out of pocket by the whole operation. 

 So far it has largely effected the primary object and 

 more than reoccupied its expenditure. 



With regard to Dr. Paul's remuneration, I am to 

 say that gentleman has named a fee of fifty guineas 

 as a proper one for the work done. Sir Joseph 

 Hooker, looking at the importance of the question, and 

 the carefulness of Dr. Paul's report, is of opinion that 

 the charge is fail' and reasonable, and I am to request 

 that the Crown Agents be authorised to pay this sum 

 to Dr. Paul.— I am &c., W. T. Thiselton Dyer. 



Edward Wingfield, Esq., Colonial Office. 



Enclosure. 

 RovAL Gardens, Kew, to Dr. Paul. 



Royal Gardens, Ivew, 28th .January, 1881. 

 Sib, — A request has been addressed to this Establish- 

 ment by the Colonial Office on the part of the Government 

 of Jamaica to olttain a report upon a sample of Cinchona 

 Febrifuge nianufactiu'ed by the Government Analytical 

 Chemist in Jamaica from red bark grown in the Colony, 

 and which has been deposited in the Sluseum of the Royal 

 Gardens. 



The Febrifuge has been made according to the directions 

 given by I\Ir. C. H. Wood, late Ciovcrnment Quinologist, 

 Bengal. 



The report is d< '^ired to be directed to the " qualities 

 and commercial value of the Febrifuge.'' 



This, it is inferred, covers such questions as whether 

 it has been properly prepared, and, if not, how its defects 

 may be remedied . 



It is also desirable to obtain an opinion as to whether, 

 from the figures stated in the papers, tn_- manufacture 

 has been economically conducted. 



Sir Joseph Hooker would be glad to know if you would 

 undertake the investigation, anil if so, what fee you would 

 charge for the report and analysis. 



I am, &c., 

 W. T. TmsLETON Dyer. 

 Dr. Paul, 1, Victoria-street, Westminster, 8. W. 



100 



sulphate, while the aggregate amount of other Cinchona 

 alkaloids, associated with quinine and their relative propor- 

 tions, are such as to make the Febrifuge of the greatest 

 possible value, and to show that it has been well prepared 

 from bark of good quality as regards its general contents of 

 Febrifuge alkaloids. 



Last May, when some specimens illustrating the character 

 of the bark grown in Jamaica were presented to the Phar- 

 maceutical Society by the Colonial Office, I had an 

 opportunity of analysing the trunk bark of the Cin- 

 chona Succirubra, and found, as I then pointed out, that 

 it was of very good quality. Taking tlie results of 

 that analysis and comparing them with composition of 

 the Jamaica Febrifuge,, the relative proportions of the 

 several alkaloids are as follow in the two cases : — 

 Alkaloids in the trunk 

 bark of the Cinchona Jamaica 

 Succirubra. Febrifuge. 



Quinine .. .. •24-39 .. 2;i-10 



Quinidine .. .. I'.'il .. •42. 



Cinchonidiue .. .. 30-80 .. 39-30 



Cinchoniue .. .. '29-30 .. 'il-Se 



Amorphous alkaloids.. 5-98 .. 7-80 



Ash .... — ... 1-49 



Water, &c — . . 6-63 



100 



No. 2. 

 Dr. Paul to Kew Gardens. 



Analytical Laboratory, 

 1, Victoria-street, Westminster, S. W., 

 W. T. Thiselton Dyeb, Esq. 



London, 24th March, 1884. 

 SiE, — The sample of Cinchona Fel>riruge received from 

 you on the 6th ultimo, and labelled " Cinchona Febri- 

 fuge prepared in the Government Laboratorj, Kingston, 

 April 1883," gives the following results on analysis : — 



Quinine ... 23I0=3l'07 crystiilizcd sulphates. 

 Quuidine ... '42^ 49 do. 



Oinchonidine 39-30= 52-42 do. 



Oinchonine ... 21-36=26-29 crystalized muriate. 

 Amorphous 



alkaloids ... T'SO 



Ash ... 1-49 



AVater colouring 

 material ... 6-53 



In reference to the desire of the Colonial Office for inform- 

 ation as to the qualities and commercial value of tin; 

 Febrifuge on behalf of the Government of Jamaica, I beg, in 

 the first place, to point to the above data as showing that 

 tliis sample of Febrifuge is of good quality, and that, as re- 

 gards its composition, it compares very favourably with the 

 material obtained from East Indian Succirubra bark, inas- 

 much as the atnount of quinine is greater in the Jamaica 

 product than in that obtained from East Indian bark. In 

 estimating the Febrifuge value of such a material, the pro- 

 portion of quinine it contains is the chief point to be con- 

 sidered though not the only one. 



In the present instance it is such as to make the prepar- 

 ation equal to nearlv one-third its weight of pure quinine 

 114 



The approximation in most instances is sufficiently close 

 to justify the inference that the trunk bark operated upon 

 by the Jamaica Government Chemist was of the same 

 kind as that presented to tho Pharmaceutical Society last 

 year by the Colonial Office. 



So far as the physical characters of the Jamaica Febrifuge 

 are concerned, there is every reason to be satisfied with 

 it since it has a good appearance, dissolves reatlily and 

 completely in dilute acid as would be requisite when used 

 in dispensing medicine, giving a solution free from ob- 

 jectionable colour or taste, except a very slight sulphuretted 

 flavour that is probably due to tho use of sulphuretted 

 alkali in the preparation of the Febrifuge. This character, 

 however, is one that would scarcely bo noticed in most 

 instances. 



In order to estimate the commercial value of the Febri- 

 fuge, since it is not exactly a marketable commodity 

 at present, perhaps the best basis to take as a standard 

 for comparison is the value of the quinine sulphate ec|ui- 

 valent to any given quantity of the Febrifuge. For 

 example, one ounce of the Febrifuge in question is equal 

 as regards its contents of quinine, to 136 grains of ordin- 

 ary quinine sulphate, so that, taking the present market 

 rate of the .salt in London, one ounce of the Febrifuge 

 would be intrinsically worth about two shillings on account 

 of the quinine it contains, and independently of the 

 further value attaching to the other alkaloids associated 

 with it. 



The quinidine and cinchonidine sulphates and the cinchon- 

 iue muriate equivalent to one ounce of the Febrifuge 

 would, in like manner, be worth respectively Is. id.. Is. 2d., 

 and 3d., so that tho aggregate value of the Febrifuger 

 thus determined would be about 3s. Od. per ounce. 



But the determination of the value of this Febrifuge 

 as a medicine involves medical opinion as to the relative 

 efficacy of the alkaloids associated with quinine, and if 

 the views expressed by the Commissions that reported 

 on the subject to the Indian Government be taken as a 

 guide, the value of a material possessing the compos- 

 ition above stated would not be very much less than that 

 of quinine sulphate. 



In accordance with your instructions I have con- 

 sidered the various general questions which you regarded 

 as being covered by the requirements of the Jamaica 

 Government, and will now proceed to report upon them 

 so far as the data at my command will permit. 



The remarks already made as to the composition and 

 character of the Febrifuge will perhaps suffice as an 

 answer to the question whetler the Febrifuge h.as been 

 properly prepared so far as the actual product is con- 

 cerned. 



It is more difficult, however, to arrive at a conclusion 

 as to whether the manufacture has been economically 

 conducted, since the papers I have received do not cen- 

 tain all the data requisite for that pui-pofe. 



