Drugs and 4s 



portion. In some barks these two structures are very distinct, and there is 

 no difficulty in cutting them apart. The renewed bark shows little or no sign 

 of fibrous growth, and is almost entirely cellular. 



But not only is the quantity of alkaloid greater, but the quality is very 

 different. The species which lend themselves best to this treatment are the 

 succirubra and officinalis ; both these and especially the succirubra yield, 

 from the natural bark, large percentages of cinchonidine. In the renewed bark 

 the proportion of cinchonidine is very much diminished as compared with the 

 quinine, sometimes almost disappearing. This result is curiously different from 

 the changes in the relative proportion of alkaloid found in the root ; there the 

 dextrogyrate alkaloids increase as against the laevogyrate, here the less oxydized 

 lsevogyrate alkaloid increases as against the more oxydized. It is difficult to 

 imagine that one changes into the other, if Pasteur's formula were correct, and 

 the difference were only in the oxygen, that might be, but it is evident that 

 the difference is much more fundamental. 



Another point of interest was the study of hybrids. The inflorescence 

 of the cinchonas lends itself greatly to hybridization owing to the fact that 

 the flowers, though having both stamina and petals are of two forms, some- 

 times the one, sometimes the other of the organs being prominent, and thus 

 fertilization must take place from another flower by the help of insects. 



Many hybrids were produced, but it is unfortunate that no accurate 

 records are available of the exact circumstances of the crossing. It was difficult 

 if not impossible to learn which species was the seed bearer. One hybrid, known 

 as "robusta," was specially interesting, its growth was even more luxuriant 

 than that of the parent succirubra, while the yield and purity of the quinine 

 approximated to fine calisaya. 



A great deal more would doubtless have been learned but for the 

 fact, disastrous for British India and Ceylon, that the cultivation of cinchona 

 in these regions ceased to be profitable. In old days the unit price, i.e., 

 the cost of each percentage of quinine in a pound of bark varied from 8d. 

 to 2s. At Od. the cultivation in the British plantations was splendidly profitable, 

 but the Indian Government was not the only one that perceived this impor- 

 tance of cinchona cultivation. 



The Dutch had, early on, rightly guessed that Java afforded an ideal 

 home for the cultivation of cinchona, and great efforts were made to obtain plants 

 or seed. At first, though the plants were obtained they were, either by accident 

 or on purpose, a collection of species very interesting no doubt to the quinologist, 

 but utterly valueless as a source of valuable alkaloid. 



At last, an English merchant named Ledger, living on the West Coast 

 of America, obtained, by the help of an Indian named Manuel, a packet of seeds, 

 largely from one magnificent tree ; when Manuel went home again the Casceril- 

 leros found out Avhat he had done and murdered him. 



These seeds were sold by Ledger, half to British India and half to the 

 Dutch Government ; he received, I think, £50 from each, all of which he gave 

 to the widow of poor Manuel. The British half was somehow or other, mismanaged, 

 and at any rate no success was obtained in the cultivation. The Java portion 

 gave very different results. 



In the skilful hands of the managers of the government gardens the plants 

 throve wonderfully, and were managed with most admirable skill. The barks of 

 individual trees were analyzed, and only those which gave high tests were 

 allowed to flower ; the seed from these were cultivated in spots far away from 



