No Quinine

One Effect of Loss of Java

OWING to the loss of Java, the world is faced with a grave shortage of quinine, the chief ingredient of the war against malaria.

The Dutch had a monopoly of quinine production in the Netherlands Indies, and they kept such a grip on the trade that there is no accumulation of stocks from which supplies may be drawn.

Quinine comes from the bark of the cinchona tree, also known as Jesuit s bark or Peruvian bark, a native of the eastern slopes of the Andes in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Until 50 years ago the world’s supply came from Peru. Then the Dutch started plantations in Java

and beat the wild product out of the world’s market.

The Americans are now encouraging extensive bark-stripping in the region of Iquitos. That will take time, but not as long as waiting to secure a reason able supply by planting cinchona trees, which take 12 years to mature. Atten tion is being given to substitutes and to the making of synthetic quinine.

Australia may be able to help in the search for substitutes. We have a so called quinine tree. The bark contains a bitter substance reputed to have proper ties similar to those of quinine.

This tree, known to science as Peta lostigma quadriloculare, is also called native quince, crab-tree, and emu apple.

It is widely distributed in New South Wales and Queensland, and extends to Western Australia. In addition to the principle reputed to act like quinine, the bark yields a camphor-like essential oil and brownish-yellow dyes.