What Historical Records Teach Us about the Discovery of Quinine

Abstract

The origin of quinine from Peru remains a mystery because of the lack of primary data—in particular, those produced by the Jesuits working in Peru. The discovery of cinchona bark and its use in malaria treatment must have come from the Jesuits, who worked with the native Andeans, the Quichuan people, and learned how the bark of the cinchona tree could be used for chills. Unknown is whether the Andean people used it for fever that may have been the result of malaria. We explored the literature of the 1600s, 1700s, and later to trace the history of quinine that is available. All these secondary sources lack the primary data of the Jesuits in their work with native Andeans, nor is there information on how the discovery of its use for malaria-like fevers came about. One clue comes from the Jesuits who talked with the Andean people and learned about quinine. But was it used for fever? Why did the Jesuits test it against (tertian or quartan) fevers that could have been the result of malaria? The gap in our knowledge can only be resolved with the discovery of written documents by the Jesuits about quinine for malaria.

The Paradigm Shift of Using Natural Molecules Extracted from Northern Canada to Combat Malaria

“…Inspired by this use, scientists attempted to extract compounds from the bark. The first attempts at extracting quinine were not overly successful and instead lead to the production of the dye methylene blue and thus fueling the rise of the dye industry [ 26 ]. While not directly aiding in the combat against malaria, the development of this dye led to advancement in the field of microbiology, allowing for the coloration of microorganisms and facilitating their observation by microscopy [ 27 ].…”