G36 



DRUGS, isAECOTICS, ETC. 



Cinchona, or the Peruvian bark, was gathered to the amount 

 of two million dollars in one 3'ear recent!}', and the demand is con- 

 stantly increasing. 



Peruvian bark is cut in th.e eastern Provinces of Eolivia, skirt- 

 ing the river Paraguay, and now conveyed an immense distance 

 by mules over a mountainous region to El Puerto, the only port 

 of Bolivia on the Pacific, It is thence brought by Cape Horn to the 

 cities of the United States and Europe. IVow that Government has 

 been successful in opening the Soutli American rivers, this important 

 article of commerce will be furnished in market by the Paraguay 

 and La Plata rivers, at a much reduced price. 



A species of bark from Colombia, known as Malambo or Matias 

 bark, has been frequently administered by Dr. Alexander Ure as a 

 substitute for cinchona with good effect. It offers the useful 

 combination of a tonic and aromatic. It is supposed to be the 

 produce of a species of Drimys. It is stated that in New Granada, 

 and other districts of Central America, where the tree is indige- 

 nous, incisions are made in the bark, and there exudes an aromatic 

 oil which sinks in water. 



Cinchona bark contains two alkaloids, cinchonia and quina, to 

 which its active properties are due ; the former is best obtained 

 from gra}^ bark, the latter from yellow bark. In combination 

 with these there exists an acid called kinic acid. 



The imports of cinchona bark to this country are from 225,000 

 to 556,000 lbs. annually, and about 120,000 lbs. are retained for 

 home consum.ption. It comes over in chests and serons, or ox- 

 hides, varying from 90 to 200 lbs. "We imported from Erance, in 



1850, 489 cwt. of Peruvian bark, of the value of £6,840 ; and in 



1851, 1,128 cwt., of the value of £15,787 ; also the following 

 quantities of sulphate of quinine, on which there is a duty of 

 6d. and 3-lOths per ounce. 



oz. £ 

 1S48 3,856 o,?98 



1849 1,114 1,560 



1850 8,976 12,566 



1851 7,605 10,647 



The following is the arrangement of these barks adopted by 

 Pereira, who has gone very fully into the subject : — 



A. True cinchonas, with a brown epidermis. 



I. Pale barks 



1. Crown or Loxa bark. C. Conclaminea. 



2. Gray or silver or Huanuco bark. C. micratiiha. 



3. Ash. or Jaen bark. C. ovata. 



4. Rusty or Huamalies bark. C. imhescens. 



II. Yellow barks. 



5. Royal, yellow or Calisava bark. C, sp f 



III. Red barks. 



6. Red bark. C. sp f 



B. True cinchonas, with a white epidermis. 

 I. Pale barks. 



7. White Loxa bark. 



