ClIINCHONA 



Culture. 



MANUAL OF THE NTIAOIKI 1)ISTHICT. 561 



finally, it will be expected from the chemist that he should, through 

 his investigations, enable Her Majesty's Government to arrive at a 

 decision with respect to the best and cheapest method of preparing the 



febrifuge for use among the labouring classes of the Natives of India. 



He will also be required to consider the questions connected with the 

 manufacture of the cinchona febrifuge for the use of hospitals and 

 troops in India." 



It would be out of place here to detail the history of Mr. —Mr. 



Brouorhton's valuable researches, which will be found in his ^'"""g'^to" s 



o •' _ researches, 



reports, most of which have been published in the Blue Books on 



chinchona cultivation. The most important facts either discovered 

 or proved by him were, (1) that the alkaloids were at a maximum 

 in October and May, (2) that barks covered by moss yielded 

 a greater amount of alkaloid and in a state which admits of 

 their crystallization as sulphates easily, (3) that the alkaloids 

 are chiefly deposited in the cellular tissue, (4) that the direct 

 rays of the sun are inimical to the development of alkaloids in the 

 bark, (5) that the alkaloids in the bark are injuinously affected 

 in the process of drying in sunshine, or in heat above 100^, or in 

 steam-beat, (6) that the leaves, blossoms, and wood of chinchona 

 contained either very little alkaloid or none at all, (7) that Nilagiri 

 chinchonas contained more chinchonidine than quinine, and that 

 the proportion of the former to the latter increased after about 

 the eighth year. 



During the first four years of his service Mr. Broughton 

 conducted many experiments with a view of ascertaining a cheap 

 febrifuge suitable for use in the hospitals of the country, but it 

 was not until 1870 that he finally adopted a combination of 

 alkaloids known as Amorphous Quinine. It consisted of the —Amorphous 

 " total alkaloids of cinchona bark in the form of a non-crystalline fii^i"'"^. 

 powder, mixed to some extent with resin and red colouring matters 

 so abundant in the red bark.'' A full description of the process 

 of manufacture is given in Mr. Broughton's report to the Madras 

 Government, 1st December 1873. The drug was acknowledged 

 as an efficient febrifuge by the Madras Medical Department.^ 

 The manufacture continued for three years, when doubts having 

 arisen as to its economy and expediency, a Special Commission 

 was appointed in June 1871 by the Madras Government, 

 consisting of Dr. Cornish and Mr. Cockerell, to report as to its 

 value as a medicine and the cost of manufacture. The Commis- 

 sion found that after calculating the price of the bark at its market 



1 Mr. Broughton in a private communication gives the following dii-ections for a 

 cheap febrifuge decoction, the bark used being not less than three years old. A 

 pound of freshly dried bark, cut up finely, boiled for half an hour and then 

 squeezed ; boiled again for the same period in fresh water, and again a third 

 time in the same manner. Mi.x. the decoctions and evaporate to small bulk. 



71 



