Cinchonine : C[20]H[12]NO / by Joseph Ince.

  • Ince, Joseph.
Date:
1863
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cinchonine : C[20]H[12]NO / by Joseph Ince. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    CJNCHONINE. The truth is, no one seems able to approach the question without a theory ; and yet out of the mass of conllicting evidence one fact stands out in bold re- lief, namely that from Cinchona bark two active princij)]c8 are obtained, Quinine and Cinclionino; while at the same time it is matter of daily ex- perience that the one alkaloid has almost superseded the other, Quinine enjoy- ing universal reputation, and Cincliouine comparative neglect. I am desirous of bringing Ibrward some considerable amount of evidence to show that there is no just reason for this exclusive choice, and I think I shall at least bo able to demonstrate that the salts of Cinchonino are entitled to more consideration than they receive at present. Let us turn for a moment to the account given by Briquet of the first in- troduction of Cinchona bark:— D'un cote se trouvaient la plupart des mddecins des grands hopitaux de ritalie, et les meilleurs praticiens de I'Espagne, lesquels, etonncs de voir cette substance arreter comme par enchantement les fievres qu'on ne guerissait point auparavant, ou qu'on ue guerissait, en quelque sorte, que par hasard, ne savaient comment pro- elamer assez haut des vertus si re- marquables, et devenaient necessaire- ment les partisans du nouveauremede. De 1'autre cote se voyaient de nom- breux contradicteurs, les uns, protes- tants enthousiastes (et c'etait le plus grand nombre des medecins anglais) ne voulaieut pas croire qu'une poudre propagee, disaieut-ils, par I'art infer- nal des Jesuites, fut autre chose qu'une preparation diabolique des- tinee afaire perirles gens du peuple, sous pretexte de les guerir. 11 est vrai que Morton pretend tenir de bonne source 'qu'il entrait un peu d'interet dans ce beau zele oontre la poudre des reverends peres: ces messieurs d'Angleterre trouvaient que les malades guerissaient tropvite. On the one hand were the majority of medical men attached to the chief hospitals of Italy, and the best prac- titioners of Spain, who in their asto- nishment at seeingthis remedy arrest, as by enchantment, fevers which be- forehand they were unable to cure, or cured only by accident, were un- able to extol too highly such remark- able vii-tues, and necessarily became the partisans of the new remedy. On the other hand were numerous oppo- nents. Some of them, being Protes- tant enthusiasts (for the most part English physicians), were unwilling to believe that a powder (as they said) introduced by the infernal art of the Jesuits, could be any other than a preparation of Satan, destined to de- stroy humanity under the pretext of effecting their cure. Morton, it is true, pretends to have good authority for stating that this fine display of zeal against the powder of the re- verend fathers contained a sprinkling of self-interest. These English wor- thies discovered that their patients were too quickly cured. When this prejudice had been happily surmounted, and the devil was al- lowed no more than his share in the transaction, another prejudice had its origin in the time of Pelletier (1820) the effect of which has remained to the present day, to the efiiect that Cinchonine was at best a possible substitute for Quinine. Chomel, who was commissioned to report on the two Sulphates of Quinine and Cinchonine, with regard to their therapeutic agency, gives but one (pub- lished) trial to the latter; Magendie's note is open to the same objection; whilst bv universal consent, Quinine is all-paramount as a remedy both here and on the Continent. Yet if we seek for evidence to prove that there is no sound chemical or therapeutical reason for this singular transmitted prefer- ence, the difficulty will consist in the selection of authorities ; let us begin by consulting the exhaustive pages of Merat and De Lens, and read the following extracts (' Dictionnaire de Matiere Medicate,' vol. ii. p. 288) :—