Plants that changed medicine
Chapter 1
The willow tree and the birth of aspirin
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Chapter 2
Cinchona bark and the fight against malaria
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Chapter 3
Sweet wormwood and ancient Chinese remedies
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Chapter 4
Madagascar periwinkle and the battle against cancer
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YOUR GOAL
Master of Plants that changed medicine
Ch 2 · Cinchona bark and the fight against malaria
teacher Bitter red bark of the fever tree, A sacred cure that set the whole world free.
Fun Fact
Malaria's name: The word malaria comes from the Italian 'mala aria', meaning 'bad air', because people thought swamp mist caused it.
Glossary
quinine (noun)
A bitter crystalline compound present in cinchona bark, used as an antimalarial drug. In 1820, French chemists first isolated the compound to treat the deadly mosquito-borne fever.
A bitter crystalline compound present in cinchona bark, used as an antimalarial drug. In 1820, French chemists first isolated the compound to treat the deadly mosquito-borne fever.
Quiz
In the 1600s, which religious group brought cinchona bark to Europe, earning it the name 'Jesuits' Bark'?
Quiz
Why did British soldiers in 19th-century India mix quinine with gin, sugar, and lime?
Quiz
What is the name of the bitter alkaloid extracted from cinchona bark that kills malaria parasites?
Quiz
Which indigenous South American people first discovered that cinchona bark could cure shivering?
Quiz
During World War II, which country's capture of Java cut off 90% of the world's quinine supply?