067. h f886j TBB "TROPICAL AQUnVLTURIST. 



9$5 



CINCHONA BAEK AND QUININE 

 SUBSTITUTES. 



Another scare has just been started, this time in Lon- 

 don, which, did it contain the elements of success in it 

 should indeed cause uneasiness in the minds of cin- 

 chona planters, not only here, but all over the world. 

 The following paragraph appeared in the Morning 

 Post of Monday. 23rd August: — 



E.E5IARKABLE DISCOVERY. — A correspondent says: — 

 Dr. Cresswell Hewett, of Lincoln's Inn Fields, has 

 discovered the synthetical or artificial mode of making 

 quinine, by which the price of that drug will be 

 reduced to something like 3d. per ounce. The im- 

 portance of this discovery (which was made two or 

 three weeks ago through the accidental breaking of 

 a medicine bottle) is rendered greater by the fact 

 that while hitherto we have been depending for our 

 quinine on the cultivation of the cinchona tree, from 

 whose bark only about 2 per cent, of good quinine 

 can be extracted, 9S per cent, being valueless, the 

 drug can now be manufactured without limit by a 

 very simple process from an article whicli can always 

 be got in abundance in any part of the world. A 

 few days ago Dr. Hewett submitted a sample of his 

 preparation to Messrs. Howard and Sons, quinine 

 manufacturers, Stratfoid, who have expressed surprise 

 at the result of their analysis the sample being 

 equal to the best quinine in the market. The dis- 

 coverer is about t ■) communicate with the Government, 

 who annually spend in India alone about £60,000 in 

 the cultivation of the cinchona tree. 



This was followed by the publication of the follow- 

 uig letter in the Lancet; — 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE Lincet. 



"■ Sir, — In answer to your note of yesterday's date, I 

 beg to inform you that the enclosed paragraph is in 

 substance correct, with the exception that the process 

 referred to was not accidental as described, but was 

 first suggested lo me by the late Dr, Matheson, of 

 St. Bartholomew's Hospital, in 1869, while assisting 

 him in experiments regarding apomorphine. Subse- 

 quently Professor P.irkes, of Netly, aided me with his 

 advice. To these gentlemen rather than to myself 

 the process is due. — I have, &c., 



" Oresswell Hewett," 

 From Messrs. Wilson, Smithett's circular, appearing 

 in our last issue, it will be seen that this correspond- 

 ence, which appears to have gone the round of the 

 daily papcis in Loudon create! some excitement in 

 the quiniu ■ 'r.i le, but the value set upon the announce- 

 ment, as t'\ • above firm of brokers state, may be very 

 fairly gau;;:; 1 by the better result of the bark sales 

 which to^i'j place shortly afterwards ; whilst Messrs. 

 Howard i^ Sons state that Mr. Cresswell Hewett had 

 no author! ly to use thei; names in connection with 

 his discover •. Tlie same sort of " discovery " has been 

 80 often repeated before, that planters are likely, we 

 fancy, to b; scared as little as the quinine manu- 

 facturers ai^pear to be. Threepence an oz, is certainly 

 a low price for quinine, but the news is, we fancy, 

 too good to be true. There will be found, we think, 

 to be .fust one little thing wanting to complete the 

 success of Mr, Hewett's " discovery." — Local " Times." 



THE ALLEGED DISCOVERY OP ARTIFICIAL 

 QUININE. 



Our readers interested in cinchona bark may 

 make their minds easy about the alleged discovery 

 o£ Dr. Cresswell Hewett, who is so unscrupulous 

 in his statements that the only excuse that can be 

 offered for him is mental aberration. His assertion 

 that the Howards had endorsed his invention is 

 disposed ot by a letter which Messrs. Howard &. 

 Sons sent to the Chemist and Druggist to the fol- 

 lowing effect: — 



" Artifcial Qnin'nie—'ihe alleged di,scovery of the 

 above was brought under our notice, the supposed 

 U 



inventor entirely failed to satisfy us of its synthetic 

 formation." 



The account given by the representative of the 

 Chemist and Druggist of an interview with 

 the alleged discoverer, will afford our readers 

 amusement, even if it leaves them in doubt 

 wnether Dr. Cresswell Hewett is more humbug 

 taan madman. It is natural to incline to the 

 latter conclusion when v,'e find the man tally- 

 ing of manufacturing 90,000 tons of an article 

 of which only 150 tons are at present consumed 

 annually in ihe whole world ! Here is the amusing 

 account of the interview with the eccentric doctor 

 who had purchased 180,000 gunpowder tins to hold 

 his synthetically formed quinine: — 



THE ALLEGED DISOOYERY OF ARTIFICIAL 

 QUININE. 



INTERVIEW WITH DR. CRESSWELL HEWETT. 



That eminently respectable and aristocratic organ, 

 the Morning Post, created quite a sensation on 'Change 

 last Monday, when, in a somewhat obscure corner of 

 its columns, as though the editor were not quite certain 

 whether he was announcing a discovery of the utmost 

 importance or communicatiug a joke, there appeared 

 the following paragraph " from a correspondent " : — 

 " Dr. CVes.swell Hewett, of Lincoln's Inn Fields, has 

 discovered the synthetical or artificial mode of making 

 quinine, by which the price of that drug will be reduced 

 to something like 3d per oz. The importance of this 

 discovery (which was made two or three weeks ago 

 through the accidental breaking of a medicine bottle), 

 is rendered greater by the fact that, while hitherto we 

 have been depending for our quinine on the cultivation 

 of the cinchona tree, from whose bark only about 2 per 

 cent of good quinine can be extracted, 98 per cent being 

 valuele? ;,, the drug can now be manufactured without 

 limit by a very simple process from an article which 

 can always be got in abundance in any part of the 

 world. A few days ago Dr. Hewett submitted a sample 

 of his preparation to Messrs. Howard & Sons, quinine 

 manufacturers, Stratford, who have expressed surprise 

 at the result of their analysis, the sample being equal 

 to the best quinine in the market.* The discoverer is 

 about to communicate with the Government, who annu- 

 ally spend in India alone about 60,000/. in the cultiv- 

 ation of the cinchona tree." 



From these statements it would appear to bo prob- 

 able that the anonymous correspondent is but imper- 

 fectly acquaiuted with the properties of cinchona bark, 

 but nevertheless the information conveyed by him was 

 sufiiciently startling to cause a sensation amoag the 

 large number of parsons interested in its preparations. 

 Mr. D.ivid Howard no sooner appeared on 'Change than 

 he was besieged by eager inquirers, desiring to have 

 his view of the matter. Mr. Howard stated that his 

 firm had actually received from Dr. Oresswell Hewett 

 a sample of quinine sulphate, which was found to bo 

 in every respect equal to the commercial article, but 

 they had no means of knowing how the article was ob- 

 tained. The mention of their firm in the .Morning rost 

 was entirely unauthorised. 



Desirous of obtaining some iuforniition from the 

 alledged discoverer in person, a member of oar staff set 

 out in search of that g.=ntlemau, who figures in the 

 Medical Registerjas Frederick Charles Oresswell Hewett, 

 Memberof the Royal College of Surgeons /^England), 

 and Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries ,''Londou), 

 Mr, Hewett's address in the Medical Register baing 

 inaccurate, and that in the Mi'mhig Po-^t vugue, the 

 discovery of him was a matter of some little difficulty, 

 but was overcome after some perseverance. 



After stating our business to the attendant we were 

 admitted into the Doctor's parlour, where we fouud 

 him apparently engaged in " coaching" a couple of 

 medical students. 



Dr. Hewett commenced by inquiring whethar we had 

 come i^rovided witli a cheque for 20,00J/., which 

 amount he named as the price fcriiis secret, and up>u 



*■ The explanation being that the sample was ordin- 

 ary quinine, probably Howaids' own.— Eu, 



