The Quinine Story
Ever since is acceptance in 1640 as a proven remedy for the malaria disease, quinine has been the mainstay of malaria treatment and still is today.
Having observed Peruvians treating malaria successfully, Jesuit priests living in Peru returned to Europe with the bark of certain tree that, when boiled and the water drink, greatly improved the survival chances of a malaria victim.
Once introduced to Europe, cinchona (as it was then known) became the drug of choice after use by such famous patients as Charles II and the Archduke Leopold.
Despite its bitter taste and the fact that it sometimes produced deafness, nausea and vomiting, or that its method of action was still mysterious, quinine became known as a miraculous drug.
Its use was linked with serious risks including its association with blackwater fever, an occasional complication of malaria, but known to be one of the commonest causes of death among expatriates in Africa.
It is suspected that irregular doses of quinine used as a prophylactic may have caused this much feared disease.
Today, quinine taken with tetracycline is often the last drug used, after other drugs failed to quell malaria.
The Quinine Story
