A Study of China [Cinchona Officinalis]

The history of the discovery of Quinquina and its exploitation is full of tragic episodes.

The following is an extract of the book “La medicine par les plantes (The use of plants in Medicine)” by J. M. Pelt.

Contrary to Sarsaparilla and Coca, the bark of Cinchona officinalis was imported a hundred years after the discovery of the New World.

The Indians in South America kept its virtues secret for a long time.  Even when the Countess of Chinchona was cured using the medicine prepared from the bark, it took a long time before the connection was made between the curing medicine and the bark of Cinchona officinalis.  In Europe, the medical establishment hesitated a long time before admitting its efficacy.  Only the Jesuit orders recognised its merits and distributed the powder that became known as the powder of the Jesuits.

In the 17^th Century, one English doctor (Talbot) made himself rich using the powder during an epidemic of paludism.  He kept its origin secret for his own benefit.  

Louis XIV paid a huge amount of money to obtain the secret from Mr. Talbot.  When Mr Talbot died, Louis XIV revealed the secret of this efficacious medicine and the medical establishment was forced to recognise its value.  The price of the bark increased and so did the number of bitter tasting imitations.

It was time to discover which tree produced the medicine.  Just like its recognition as a medicine was eventful, the history of the identification of the tree is littered with failings and calamities.  Intrigues, contests and tragedy stopped Jussieu, Contamine, Mutis and Caldas from publishing any useful information about the Quinquina.

It was only at the beginning of the 19^th century that Von Humbold published the first reliable observations concerning the different species of trees producing the medicine.  He also warned the authorities to prevent the systematic culling of the trees that could cause their eradication.

During this time the rich and powerful English and Dutch Indian companies tried to grow the trees in their colonies.  Because the South American Indians had kept the nature of the right trees a secret, the companies’ efforts only produced trees with insufficient quinine content for the production of the medicine.

1. M. Pelt writes in his book, citing Mme Duran Reynald: “It is as if the story of the tree of fever is about malediction and unfortunate destiny for all who get involved with it.”

The trees grows high in the mountains, on the west flanks, exposed to strong rainfall. They do not form thick forests but are disseminated left and right.

The persecution of the Cinchona officinalis tree has been relentless.  Man has continuously removed the bark of the tree causing the sap of the tree to flow freely (Cinchona officinalis and haemorrhages)

1) The experimenter of Cinchona officinalis remembers the suffering that man caused the tree.

– Dreams of events long forgotten

– Fear something will happen

– Fear of people, evil and ghosts

– Dwells on past disagreeable occurrences (2)

– Sees people on closing eyes (3)

– Excitement after hearing horrible things (2)

– Dreams Anxious (2)

He remembers being persecuted, tormented:

– Delusions pursued by enemies

– Delusion persecuted (3)

– Delusion tormented (2)

– Delusions vexations and offences

– Despair with pains

He did not expect this to happen:

– Shrieking causeless during cheerful mood (2)

– Shrieking sudden

– Shrieking sleep during

– Naïve but very intelligent (2)

– Starting during and from sleep (2)

The bark has been removed using a knife (dreams cutting, dreams injuries, dreams of being stabbed, fear of knifes, dream of danger, dream of death of relatives- of his mother, dreams frightful (2), …)

This wound will haunt him for the rest of his life: he has become hurt for life, hypersensitive (2):

– Sensitive to moral impressions

– Sensitive to sensual impressions (2)

– Sensitive to touch

– Sensitive to noise (3)

– Admonition aggravates, even kindly, weeping from admonition

He keeps physical and moral marks:

– Slight touch aggravates. (3). Touch aggravates. (3), touching anything aggravates., Slight pressure aggravates. (3), clothing aggravates. (2) but Hard pressure amel. (3)

Vermeulen writes: Cinchona Officinalis avoids superficial contacts and desires deep friendship.

The hypersensitivity is not only physical but also moral:

– Fear of being touched (2)

– Sensitive to touch

– Aversion to being touched (2)

– Fear of being hurt

– Anger, morose, and weeping, caressing from

 Even a simple look is sufficient:

– Cannot bear to be looked at (3)

The sensation and many pains in the materia medica remind rituals of torture:

– A knife entered between the eye and the orbit to remove the eye.

– Pepper on the tongue, a stone between the shoulders

– Periosteum being pulled off with a knife

– Cold shower

– Clothes too tight around the extremities

– Needle like pain

– Anxiety torturing (2)

These mutilations have stopped Cinchona Officinalis from growing and to realise himself:

– Delusion hindered by everyone (2)

– Delusion hindered at work (2)

2)  Cinchona Officinalis accuses the others of being responsible for his fate.  This determines the relation of the patient to others: isolation, reproaches, disdain, cynicism, and stand off.

Isolation   

– Aversion to company (2)                    – reserved

– Aversion to all persons                       – reflecting

– Wants to be quiet                               – introspection (2)

– Refuses to answer (2)                         – selfishness

– Answers laconic

– Conversation aggravate

– Indisposed to talk (2)

Reproaching

– Indignation

– Reproaching others (3)

Disdain

– Abusive

– Foppish

– Haughty

– Insolence

 Then follows anger, vengeance, cynicism …. To the point of frightening himself:

– Anger, inclined to vex others (3)                                   – want of moral feeling

– Anger, so angry he could have stabbed anyone             – cruelty

– Desire to kill loved ones                                                 – ungrateful

– Desire to kill with a knife (!)                                          – Unsympathetic   

– Rage leading to deeds of violence                                  – Fear of killing (2)

– Malicious with anger (2)                                                 – fear to fly into rage (2)

Cinchona officinalis then becomes disobedient (2), dictatorial (2), contrary, intolerant of contradiction, redness of naughty children.

Escape is a solution to be contemplated:

– Escape attempts to, jumps up suddenly from bed

– Jumps out of bed (3)

– Restlessness tossing about in bed (2)

– Roving senseless

– Runs about (2)

– Alcoholism (3)

The whole story causes Cinchona officinalis to become unhappy (2)

– Delusion unfortunate                              – discontented (2)

– Delusion forsaken, he is                          – discouraged (2)

– Forsaken feeling                                     – inconsolable (2) (even to suicide)

– Sentimental                                             – dreams of misfortune

– Feels unfortunate

– Complaining                                            – desire to be cheerful

– Lamenting

Regardless of these sentiments, there is no desire to reconcile with the world:

Consolation aggravates.

– Anger from caressing (1- 1) morose and weeping from caressing

– Fear of being pitied

Every time he feels wounded, every time he feels something is taken away (2) or when something fails, his case gets worse.  There are many rubrics illustrating this.  I will produce a sample (subjective choice).

             Mental

– Ailments from mortification (2)

– Ailments from grief

– Ailments from sexual excesses (3)

– Confusion of mind during perspiration (2)

– Delirium after depletion (2- 1) and from loss of fluids (2- 2)

– Excitement after haemorrhage (2- 1)

– Forgetful from loss of fluids

– Irritability coition after (2)

– Sadness and indifference perspiration after (3)

             Physical (only a limited sample is given here)

– Weakness (3): from Diarrhoea (3)

                           Emission after (2)

                           In haemorrhage (3)

                           With leucorrhoea (3)

                           From loss of fluids (3)

                           Menses after (2)

                           In nursing woman (2)

                           From perspiration

3)  Like the tree, Cinchona officinalis has only one solution: to reconstruct himself (3) and to continue to grow (3).  He is persuaded he will be stopped from doing so (dreams disputing about money) he decides to mobilise its strength when the other are not there (2); this is in the evening (3).  In opposition, waking is the worst time of the day.

– Canine hunger at night (3)                                  – dullness on waking (3)

– Theorizing evening (2)                                     – anxiety, irritability on waking (2)

– Making many plans (evening (2) and night (3))

– Clearness of mind (3) (evening (3) night (2))

– Hopeful

– Full of desire, indefinite (1- 8)

– Weeping about an imaginary need (1- 1)

– Desires activity

It is obvious that it is all about projects rather than realising the projects: I would like to but I can’t.

– Dullness after dreams

– Intentions contrary to speech

– Capriciousness (2)

Cinchona officinalis knows/imagines the reconstruction to be inefficacious (3), deemed to fail (fear of failure, dreams falling from height).  Many symptoms show these feelings: anxiety, hypochondria, laziness, restlessness, sadness eating after (2).  Physical symptoms indicate the same: Ravenous appetite with emaciation (3), Diarrhoea painless night only after eating in the daytime (3).

Whatever Cinchona officinalis tries, it does not realize itself.

– Fancies lascivious with impotence (2)

– Irritability with weakness (3)

– Irresolution in acts even when attempts suicide

– Suicidal disposition but lack of courage (3)

Cinchona officinalis then gives up

– Inclination to sit (3) ao

– Unconscious if he remains erect (1- 1)

– Slowness (2)

– Want of self confidence (2)

…or lives in hope:

– gambling

… chooses to be different:

– extravagance

– crank

…realising himself constitutes a real problem for China (2).  That is why we find Cinchona officinalis in:

– Carefulness serious (3)           and                   Chaotic (3) (Confused Condition)

– Bulimia (3)                             and                   Anorexia (3)

– Envy (2), avidity (2), greedy (2), gourmand

– Appetite increased (2) fever during (2)

Instead of choosing this materialistic, physical path to realisation, Cinchona officinalis can react in an opposite way: by ignoring the value of everything:

– Things seem unattractive (1 – 1)                    – anorexia nervosa (3)

– Objects seem unworthy (2 – 1)                      – indifference  to drinking

– Contemptuous of everything (2)                               to eating

                                                                                    to making money

                                                                                    to pain                       

– dreams are unimportant

– tranquillity (2)

…in some case he can even ignore his own body:

– Delusion did not touch the bed when lying

– Delusion he is light, incorporeal

– Vertigo walking, as if gliding in the air with sensation as if feet did not touch the ground (2)

…or in the absence of other develop as an artist:

– ability for art

– desire to be read

– desire to write

– verses making

I would like to end this work with the rubric, fear of dogs (3).  The dog is the enemy that comes to bite you by surprise and takes a piece of meat out of you.