CHINCHOXA OR PERUVIAN BARK. 369 



name for the tree, quina-quina — "bark of barks" — shows that 

 they believed it to possess medicinal properties; indeed, there 

 is little doubt that they were aware of its febrifugal qualities, 

 though they might not have attached much importance to 

 them. Through them, probably, the Spanish colonists in the 

 neio'hbourhood of Loxa first discovered its virtues. It was, 

 however, but little known till the year 1638, when the wife 

 of the Count of Chinchon, Viceroy of Peru, lay sick of an in- 

 termittent fever in the palace of Lima. The corregidor of 

 Loxa, who had himself been cured of an ague by the bark, 

 hearing of her sickness, sent a parcel of powdered quinquina 

 bark to her physician. It was administered to the Countess 

 Anna, and effected a complete cure. She, in consequence, did 

 her utmost to make it known. Her famous cure induced 

 Linn!3eus long afterwards to name the whole genus of quinine- 

 yielding trees Chinchona, in her honour. The Jesuit mission- 

 aries, who had learned its virtues, also sent parcels of the 

 bark to Rome, whence it was distributed to members of their 

 fraternity throughout Europe by the Cardinal de Lugo. 

 Hence it was sometimes called Jesuits' bark, and sometimes 

 Cardinal's bark. For many years, however, great opposition 

 was made by European physicians to its use. Some Protes- 

 tants, indeed, went so far as to decline taking it, because it 

 was favoured by the Jesuits. Although the bark was used 

 for many years, it was not till Dr. Gomez, a surgeon in the 

 Portuguese navy, in 1816 isolated the febrifugal princi})le, 

 and called it chinchonine, that its true value became kno\\ni. 

 But the final discovery of quinine, as it is now used, is due 

 to the French chemists Pelletier and Caventon, in 1820. 

 It is a white substance, without smell, bitter, fusible, and 

 crystallized. 



(379) 24 



