BOGOTA  BARKS  FROM  NEW  GRENADA. 
307 
civilized  world,  and  believing  that  their  own  mountain  slopes 
contained  all  the  bark  available  for  this  manufacture,  the  Bolivian 
Government  established  their  famous  monopoly,  by  which  the  sup- 
ply was  shortened  and  the  price  elevated  until  it  arose  from  45 
cents  to  $1.75  per  pound.  Seeing  no  end  to  this  interference,  the 
merchants  and  chemists  of  Europe  have  industriously  sought  new 
sources  of  supply,  and  during  the  last  few  years  the  mountains  of 
New  Grenada  in  the  regions  of  Popayan  and  Bogota,  have  fur- 
nished barks  which  far  exceed  in  quinia  value  the  Carthagena 
barks  described  in  the  books.  The  introduction  of  these  barks 
brought  down  the  price  of  the  monopoly  bark  to  $1.05,  which 
has  again  risen  in  consequence  of  the  large  demand  for  material 
by  the  manufacturers  of  the  United  States,  who  have  been  pre- 
cluded from  using  the  barks  of  New  Grenada  by  the  construction 
put  upon  the  Drug  Law  by  some  of  the  Examiners. 
Of  the  immense  exportation  of  calisaya  bark  from  Bolivia  the 
manufacturers  of  this  country  have  consumed  of  late  years  as  much 
as  all  the  rest  of  the  world  together ;  hence  the  importance  to  them 
of  participation  in  the  use  of  the  Bogota,  Pitaya,  and  other  Grena- 
dan  barks  which,  within  the  past  two  or  three  years,  have  been  ex- 
ported to  Europe  to  the  extent  of  from  12,000  to  15,000  ceroons, 
and  several  varieties  of  which  are  sought  after  with  an  avidity 
that  proves  how  highly  they  are  esteemed  by  manufacturers  of 
quinine. 
That  this  demand  is  based  on  correct  data  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  Chemistry  has  advanced  too  far,  and  qualified  analytical 
chemists  are  too  numerous,  for  manufacturers  of  good  character 
to  risk  their  reputation  merely  to  deceive  the  medical  public  for 
their  own  pecuniary  interest.  Without  depending  on  foreign 
statements,  it  may  be  well  to  give  a  few  results  obtained  in  this 
city  from  barks  from  the  regions  alluded  to.  1000  grains  of  each 
bark  was  treated. 
These  analyses  being  made  solely  to  ascertain  the  quinia  value 
of  the  barks,  no  attempt  was  made  to  determine  the  exact  nature 
of  the  associated  basic  matter,  which  was  believed  to  be  either 
quinidin  or  cinchonin,  or  perhaps  both.  Other  specimens  of  these 
barks  have  yielded  but  4  grs.,  and  even  but  2  or  3  grs.  of  quinia 
per  1000  grs.  of  bark,  but  these  would  not  be  worked  by  the 
manufacturer. 
