12 
QBINOLOGY OF THE EAST INDIAN PLANTATIONS. 
terms, his discovery of Quinine in the wood of C. succirubra : — “ The most interesting point I have 
ascertained lately is the presence of alkaloid in the older heart-wood of the Bed-bark tree. This amounts 
to O'lO per cent of the weight of the wood. I have obtained it as a crystalline sulphate. The most 
remarkable instance is that of a tree which, though rich in alkaloids, contained no Quinine, but Quinidine. 
To my great surprise, the whole of the wood-alkaloid was Quinine .” 
Now, since the weight of wood is to that of the bark as (perhaps on the average) 10 to 1, we 
should, in such case, be at once furnished with a kind of inexhaustible storehouse of alkaloids for the 
renewed bark, and should have discovered the very thing of which we were in search. 
In order to obtain further information on this point, and to trace the results of the flow of sap as above 
described, I took some portions remaining of a Bed-bark tree, part of which was sent me in the year 1860 
from the Mountain Chahuarpata, in the Province of Alausi (South America), and which I have elsewhere 
described,* subjecting them to examination as below. 
Boot of Bed-bark tree, 10 inches in diameter, solid, heavy, almost like box- wood : — 
1. — 1750 grains, acted upon by distilled water and a warm temperature for several days. The loss of weight, 
25 per cent., consisting of water, gum, some impure Banova-bitter, with oxidized colouring-matter, and combined 
with a trace of alkaloid. 
I use the term Kinova -bitter as a name for this glycoside, which is not pure kino vie acid. (See my Illustr. 
Nuev. Quin, sub voce C. magnifolia.) 
2. — The remainder, fully dried, was submitted to the action of ether, which formed a light yellow solution, 
which, evaporated, left 0T0 per cent, of the substance previously described as “ Cinchotannic acid” or “mother- 
substance ” (described further on). 
3. — The residuary portion was acted on by spirit of wine, which dissolved out an additional 0T7 per cent, of 
the above substance (making, with that before mentioned, 0-270 per cent, of the wood examined), together with 
0-330 of oxidizable resin, some part of which (Avhen the above substance had been separated by ether) would not 
again dissolve in spirit, appearing to have been changed into humus. A similar change took place on the addition of 
solution of permanganate of potash to the mother-substance. 
4. — Another portion, 3500 grains, was subjected to the action of lime-water, the filtered solution precipitated 
by hydrochloric acid, the Blinova -bitter dissolved in spirit of wine (and thus separated from about 1 per cent, of 
oxidized colouring-matter), and then evaporated, gave l - 60 per cent, 
5. — A portion of the woody fibre was calcined and examined by my son, W. D. Howard, with the following 
result. The proportion of ash to weight of wood was 0-55 per cent., consisting of — 
Carbonate of lime ......... 0-121 
Carbonate of potash ......... 0-159 
Carbonate of manganese . . . . . . . .0-031 
Silica 0-097 
Phosphates of iron and alumina, and peroxide of iron . . . 0-062 
Loss and undetermined, which includes some carbonate of soda . 0-080 
0-550 
6. — 3500 grains, as above, were treated for the extraction of the alkaloids, and yielded 1-00 per cent, of rough 
and impure precipitated alkaloid, which partially dissolved in ether ; the addition of oxalic acid to this solution did 
not cause a crystallization, and the Quinine present appeared to be in a peculiar state. I did not succeed in this 
experiment in getting a quantitative result ; the next was more successful. 
7. — Another portion, of 3500 grains, gave, of alkaloids soluble in ether, per cent. 
Quinine and Cinchonidine . . . . . . . .0-41 
Cinckonicine . . . . . . . . . ■ 0-05 
0-46 
In both these experiments the presence of the peculiar resin, elsewhere described, to the extent of at least 
1 per cent, of the wood, rendered crystallization of the sulphates difficult. 
In order to follow the course of the ascending sap, I took a portion of the stem-wood of the same 
tree, measuring about 23 inches in circumference, and having split off the outside till the circumference 
* See Illustr. Nuev. Quin, sub voce G. succirubra, p. 4. 
