414 



BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE, NORWICH. 



Cinchona 

 Cu Itivatiou. 



1868. a large proportion belong to the species which furnish what are 

 called crown bark and red bark. 



But however rapid and vigorous the growth of the Cinchona 

 in India, the culture of the tree would avail but little, unless 

 the bark were as rich in alkaloids as that produced in South 

 America. 



In fact, at the outset of the enterprise many persons capable 

 of judging had considerable misgivings as to the results. If 

 the young plants could be induced to grow, would it not be 

 needful to wait a generation, at least, before they would produce 

 bark that it would be worth while to remove ? Should we not 

 destroy the trees by the operation ? And if we, at last, got the 

 bark, might it not prove deficient in those constituents which 

 render that of South America so valuable ? 



These surmises have happily not been verified ; in fact from 

 the numerous analyses of Mr. Howard, Dr. De Vry, and Mr. 

 Broughton, it is evident that the percentage of alkaloids in the 

 bark grown in India may exceed that obtainable from the same 

 sort of bark grown in its native country. Another point well 

 worthy of notice is that the proportion which one alkaloid bears 

 to another varies extraordinarily in the same species sometimes 

 quinine predominating, sometimes the less valuable cinchonine 

 or cinchonidine. We are as yet, to a great extent, ignorant of the 

 causes of this variation ; but that they may be discovered and 

 controlled seems to be the conviction of those most competent 

 to form an opinion, for we find Mr. Howard speaks of a plant 

 being " encouraged " to produce quinine instead of cinchonidine. 

 Mossing. In fact, the process of coating the stems with moss after the 

 removal of the bark as first practised by that most skilful of 

 cultivators, Mr. Mclvor, is found not only to favour the rapid 

 reproduction of the bark, but even to increase its richness in 

 alkaloids ; and it seems we may hope to go a step further, and 

 to settle what those alkaloids shall be. 



Cultivation of The success that has attended Cinchona culture naturally led 



Ipecacuanha. ^ ^ Q jj^jjy whether there are not other medicinal plants 



that may be introduced into our Colonies with equal hope of 



good results ? Though we can certainly point to none at all 



