148 MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



being entirely stripped of their bark they soon perish ; and as the 

 aumber of these trees to which access could be had, was said to be 

 not very considerable,, it has been supposed that a sufficient quan- 

 tity of bark to supply the demand, could not long be procured. 

 Condamine, however, asserts that the young trees do not die by 

 losing their bark, but send out fresh shoots from the base, and as 

 *hose which are suffered to become old have time to disseminate 

 and propagate, we trust the fear of exhausting this valuable medi- 

 cine is wholly groundless. 



We seem to have no satisfactory account at what time, or by what 

 means, the medicinal efficacy of the Peruvian bark which is now so 

 well established, was first discovered. Some contend that its use 

 in intermittent fevers was known to the Americans long before the 

 Spaniards possessed Peru, but that they concealed this knowledge 

 from the Europeans; and, on the contrary, it is asserted by others, 

 that the Peruvians never supposed it to be fit for any medicinal 

 use, but thought that the large quantities exported thence was for 

 the purpose of dyeing, and they actually made some trials of its 

 effects in this way. Condamine says, that according to an ancient 

 tradition, the Americans owe the discovery of this remedy to the 

 lions, which some naturalists pretend are subject to a kind of inter- 

 mitting fever, of which they were observed to be cured by instinc- 

 tively eating the bark of the cinchona. But Geoffroy states, that 

 the use of the bark was first learned from the following circum- 

 stance : Some cinchona trees being thrown by the winds into a 

 pool of water, lay there till the water became so bitter that every 

 body refused to drink it. However, one of the neighbouring inha- 

 bitants being seized with a violent paroxysm of fever, and finding 

 no other water to quench his thirst, was forced to drink this, by 

 which he was perfectly cured. He afterwards related the circum- 

 stance to others, and prevailed upon some of his friends who were 

 ill of fevers to make use of the same remedy, with whom it proved 



to be carried directly down to the low country to dry; for otherwise it loses 

 its colour, turns black, and rots; and if it lie any time in the hut without 

 being spread, it runs the same risk : so that while the Indians are cutting, the 

 mules if the weather permits ought to be carrying it down to the place appoint- 

 ed for drying it, which is done by spreading it in the open air, and frequently 

 turning it." 



