BETA
Chapter 1
The willow tree and the birth of aspirin
Chapter 2
Cinchona bark and the fight against malaria
Chapter 3
Sweet wormwood and ancient Chinese remedies
Chapter 4
Madagascar periwinkle and the battle against cancer
YOUR GOAL
Master of Plants that changed medicine
Ch 2 · Cinchona bark and the fight against malaria
artiteacher Drag Cinchona bark to sick patients to discover how this tree defeated malaria.
artiteacher Cinchona Bark and Malaria
Bitter red bark of the fever tree, A sacred cure that set the whole world free.
artiteacher British soldiers mixed bitter quinine with gin and sugar, inventing a classic cocktail.
artiteacher Quinine became a powerful geopolitical tool, allowing Europeans to survive malaria in tropical colonies.
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
In 1820, which two French chemists first isolated pure quinine from cinchona bark?
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?
Quiz
The cinchona tree, famous for its malaria-fighting bark, is native to which mountain range?