ON AMORPHOUS QUININE. 
189 
ART. XXXVI.— AMORPHOUS QUININE. 
By. Dr, Natorrs. 
You tell me that you are desirous to know whether I con- 
tinue to employ the uncrystalline alkaloid of the cinchona 
bark, and what are the results of my experience respecting 
the therapeutic effects of this remedy. In answer to your 
inquiries, I am. happy to communicate the following effects : 
The late Mr. Reidel, pharmaceutical chemist, was largely 
engaged in the manufacture of the various preparations or 
cinchona bark, and he obtained an uncrystallisable residue, 
incapable of further purification. Thinking that this sub- 
stance might be employed as a remedy, he furnished me 
with a considerable quantity, for the purpose of making ex- 
periments in my practice among the poor peasantry. It 
happened that just at that time an epidemic intermittent 
fever was raging in Berlin and the neighborhood, which 
gave me a most favorable opportunity of testing its anti- 
intermittent power ; and I was quite astonished at the 
extraordinary effect of this new substance. Another 
physician, Dr. Skilling, physician to the forces, made at the 
same time similar experiments with it, and obtained the 
same results. As the fever was excessively prevalent in the 
villages around Berlin, many of the proprietors to whom I 
am physician applied to me to furnish them with a remedy 
against the disease. I prescribed the new substance in ques- 
tion, in solution, as I will presently explain ; and the result 
was, the rapid disappearance of the malady from their es- 
tates. The reputation of these cures at that time extended 
so far, that the peasants came from forty-five to fifty miles 7 
distant to fetch \the fever-drops/ One proprietor of a large 
estate near Warsaw, hearing that an epidemic fever had 
broken out amongst his peasantry, forwarded large quanti- 
ties of the fever-drops, and he was soon gratified with the 
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