32 ORD. XIV. Rubiacez. CINCHONA. 
considered by many medical men as eminently febrifuge, contained quinine, 
cinchonine, or a third variety of alkali. The result was, that they obtained, 
not only a treble quantity of cinchonine, (in all respects like that obtained 
from the grey-bark) but also nearly twice as much quinine as the same quan- 
tity of yellow-bark had yielded. From ulterior experiments, made on large 
masses, it appears that guinine and cinchonine exist in all three species of 
bark, but the cinchonine is in greater quantity than the quinine in the grey- 
bark ,whilst in the yellow-bark, the quinine greatly predominates.”* 
The mode of obtaining the quinine and cinchonine is thus given by Ma- 
gendie :—‘ Boil the bark in alcohol, until it loses all its bitterness ; evapo- 
rate the decoction to dryness in a water bath ; dissolve the extract thus ob- 
tained in boiling water, strongly acidulated with hydrochloric acid ;+ add an 
excess of calcined magnesia; which, after boiling a few minutes, fixes the 
red colouring matter, and leaves the liquid clear: when cold, filtrate, and 
wash the magnesian precipitate with cold water, dry it on a stone, separate 
all the bitterness by repeated digestion in boiling alcohol, mix the alcoholic 
liquors, and the cinchonine will crystallize as the fluid cools.’’t 
The cinchonine and quinine may be obtained by one operation, as follows. 
Having obtained the sulphate of quinine by the above process (operating on 
the cinchona cordifolia) decompose the mother waters, and the washings of 
that operation, (which hold in solution the sulphate of cinchonine) by mag- 
nesia or lime; dissolve the quinine and cinchonine contained in these li- 
quors, by digesting the magnesian precipitate when washed and well dried, 
in boiling alcohol: if the spirit be sufficiently charged, the cinchonine which 
predominates will crystallize; if it de not, further concentration is necessary. 
The cinchonine thus obtained, must undergo a re-crystallization to purify it; 
this is done by dissolving it in a sufficient quantity of boiling alcohol. The 
following process of M. Henry, Jun. for obtaining the sulphate of quinine, is 
much more cheap and expeditious. He digests the bark repeatedly in hot 
water, acidulated by sulphuric acid, blanches the liquors by means of hot 
lime, and washes the precipitate to separate the excess oflime; this precipi- 
tate he repeatedly digests, when well drained, in alcohol at 36° (837); he 
* Magendie, Formulaire. + Mnuriatic acid of former chemists. 
t M. Magendie here speaks of the grey-bark, Cinchona condaminea ; for if the Cin- 
chona cordifolia be subjected to the same process, quinine is obtained, or rather, the 
sulphate of quinine. 
