TESTS  OF   THE  CINCHONA -ALKALOIDS. 
339 
yet  the  simple  fact  that  they  are  able  to  carry  on  business  here, 
and  the  other  point  which  I  have  already  stated  regarding  the  in- 
crease of  trade  generally  in  these  parts,  may  justly  be  regarded  as 
sufficient  criteria  to  warrant 'attention  being  called  to  the  subject. 
If  the  foregoing  remarks  shall  in  any  degree  tend  to  awaken 
interest,  either  in  the  lovers  of  science  or  in  the  mercantile  com- 
munity, and  thus  pave  the  way  to  the  acquisition  of  the  least 
benefit,  the  imperfect  attempt  of  the  writer  will  be  more  than  com- 
pensated.— Pharm.  Journ.  Feb.  1,  1853. 
ON  THE  TESTS  FOR  THE  CINCHONA- ALKALOIDS,  KINOVIC 
ACID,  KINIC  ACID,  AND  OXIDIZED  TANNIN  (CINCHONA  RED,) 
IN  CINCHONA  BARKS. 
By  Dr.  F.  L.  Winckler. 
Of  all  long-known  drugs  none  have  in  recent  times  so  much  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  Chemists  as  cinchona  bark — the  discovery 
of  the  various  alkaloids  contained  in  it  having  afforded  a  safe 
standard  for  the  determination  of  its  goodness. 
This  circumstance  has  been  accompanied  by  a  large  number  of 
results,  which  are  of  great  importance  in  medical  practice.  It  has 
removed  the  uncertainty  of  the  notion  of  genuine  and  spurious 
barks,  and  made  it  possible  to  distinguish  the  former  from  the  lat- 
ter, and  to  determine  their  real  value. 
The  excellent  work  of  Von  Bergen  forms  the  foundation  of  our 
knowledge  of  the  cinchona  barks.  Its  theoretical  part  contains 
everything  that  could  be  obtained  at  the  time  of  its  appearance  ; 
but  Von  Bergen's  account  of  the  mercantile  relations  of  this  drug 
is  of  greater  value,  because  nothing  certain  was  known  on  this  point 
before,  and  because  for  the  medicinal  use  of  barks  an  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  material  imported  is  certainly  of  greater  impor- 
tance than  the  origin  of  the  barks.  Notwithstanding  all  our 
present  information,  a  long  time  must  elapse  before  we  can  accu- 
rately arrange  the  barks  imported  into  Europe,  because  in  conse- 
quence of  the  greatly  increased  consumption,  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  the  alkaloids,  new  sources  are  rendered  necessary,  and 
new  districts  in  the  native  country  are  explored,  by  which,  doubt- 
less, new  species  of  cinchona  are  discovered. 
The  correctness  of  this  view  is  shown  by  the  present  occurrence 
