Talk:Quinine/Archive 1

Latest comment: 8 years ago by 96.247.14.33 in topic Opening defiinition
Archive 1

Does quinine cause sudden death?

My grammar is probably rusty, but is this sentence ambiguous? "Quinine can, in therapeutic doses, cause cinchonism; in rare cases, it may even cause death"

Does quinine cause death in rare cases, or only rare cases at therapeutic doses?

apologies if i did it wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.118.77.41 (talk) 13:25, 27 June 2012 (UTC)

Mode of Action

Is it known how this drug works? AxelBoldt 18:13 Oct 8, 2002 (UTC)

As far as I know, it just brings down fevers, and that's all the treatment it gives you. How it does that, I don't think anyone knows. Like most drugs, it just sort of works. Think anyone knows how acetaminophen (Tylenol) works? Think again... Graft 18:23 Oct 8, 2002 (UTC)
"It just sort of works" stopped being an acceptable answer back in the days of witch doctors. See "Method of action" under acetaminophen and stop misinforming people.
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.3.76.65 (talk) 06:22, 13 September 2003
  • What i have to say might just improve the article slightly (in skilled hands), but in any case Graft has not been sufficiently excoriated, and i think i can do it without calling them an idiot or Paleolithic:
    Graft is not only wrong abt how the action is effected, but about what the action is, and someone has to contradict their propagation of dangerous ignorance, even here on the talk page.
    Quinine does not "bring down fevers". It relieves or reduces most or all of the symptoms of malarial-parasite "infection" by killing or debilitating the parasite. (And one of those symptoms, but not the one that is most interesting in the context of quinine, happens to be fever.)
    The interesting symptom that it relieves is chills, and it's interesting bcz the chills are the reason that its use against malaria was tried out. It's doesn't seem to a case of the wisdom of a tropical native people afflicted by an especially tropical disease having discovered a tropical plant that is effective against a disease that Western civilization was powerless against, but lucky enuf to find that the natives already shared the disease with them, and could share the cure. (Folklorists should document that meme, they way they jump on "the grateful dead" stories!) Peruvians, if i understand correctly, being primarily an upland people, didn't have malaria -- a lowlands disease -- as a significant problem.
    Here's how it happened: Malaria is not exclusively a tropical disease: Rome, the Roanoke colony and New York City all had substantial malaria problems. The Peruvians had discovered the bark that pointed the way to quinine as a treatment for chills (or i guess really for the shivering they produce): one of its actions is as a muscle relaxant (hence its use against night cramps). "Oh, treats chills; let's try it against the chills phase of fever and ague." And it reduced the violence of the shivering, by relaxing the muscles instead of letting the nervous system slam them back and forth in desperate efforts to work them hard enuf to raise body temperature, so they kept using it, and playing with the dosage. And sometimes the dosage was high enuf to debilitate the parasite, but low enuf not to debilitate the patient, and the fever phase was eased as well, because the agent that eased the chills happened to be toxic enough to harm the parasite that is the ultimate cause of the chills.Belated placement of accurate sig:
    Jerzyt 21:42, 4 & 06:06, 5 May 2009 (UTC)
Here how it quinine anti-malarial ability is believed to work: "exert selective toxicity towards the erythrocytic stages of malaria parasites" and "exerts its anti-malarial effects by interacting with the hemoglobin degradation process within the parasite, probably through an interaction with hematin" and finally "Much evidence has accumulated to support the hypothesis that quinoline type blood schizontocides exert their antimalarial activity through interacting with hematin" according to http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=105975 all of this can be summed up as "The theorized mechanism of action for Quinine and related anti-malarial drugs is that these drugs are toxic to the malaria parasite, specifically be interfering with the parasite’s ability to degrade and digest hemoglobin, thus starving the parasite or causing the build up of toxic levels of partially degraded hemoglobin in the parasite."--BerserkerBen 20:47, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)
There has also been a recent study indicating that quinine can inhibit the transport of the amino acid tryptophan in yeast. This apparently relates to the structural similarity between quinine and tryptophan, which corresponds with the theory that quinine is synthesized from tryptophan in the bark of the Cinchona tree. It remains to be seen whether this mechanism of action applies in Plasmodium spp. and/or humans. See: J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 284, Issue 27, 17968-17974, July 3, 2009

- Added August 2009 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.42.200.208 (talk) 11:58, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

Oxidizing the carboxylic acids

What is the significance of the reaction shown toward the bottom of the page? Are either of the products important? Without some explanation it seems like a rather strange thing to have there.. why oxidize to the two carboxylic acids? Veritol 24 April 2005 —Preceding undated comment added 11:22, 24 April 2005.

Are there any other significant uses for Quinine?

I only ask as I’ve had a sore throat for the past 2 weeks and go to the point where I lost my voice. I had been taking throat lozenges occasionally for the two weeks to relieve the pain and that worked well but the antibacterial seemed to be rather ineffective... I decided to see if Quinine would/could make any difference. After drinking tonic water w/Quinine for about two days I found that I was expelling the infection and have managed to recover my voice. I guess my real question is: Why has a $3(NZ) bottle of Schweppes Tonic water w/Quinine in it helped more than pharmaceutical products designed for the purpose?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by Cuffy (talkcontribs) 01:20, 27 May 2005

Sure joint pain, headaches, fever reduction, even heart arrhythmia, several studies have found quinine have effect in reducing these aliments through anti-histamine properties : making it a sort of a ultra bitter aspirin. --BerserkerBen 05:37, 29 July 2005 (UTC)
I heard a story on NPR where an author being interviewed said that quinine had been used, chiefly in Africa, to lighten one's skin. Supposedly it works by breaking down the melanin in the skin when directly applied. She suggested that it didn't usually work very well—produced spotty results. I came here looking for more information. Anyone know if I heard correctly?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.59.204.129 (talk) 15:30, 2 February 2006
Following two spinal surgeries 6 days apart, I was suffering from post surgical nerve dormancy, and neuropathy, resulting in certain leg muscles working overtime to compensate. Also, Vicodin was known to result in muscle cramps as it wore off over night. As a result, I had night time muscle cramps so bad that both hamstrings would cramp at the same time and wake me up, and then my calf would go... I had trouble getting any sleep and was exhausted every day. I had enough and called my Dr. He said as a matter of fact; "have you tried Quinine." While waiting on a prescription for Quinine, I went to one small glass bottle of tonic water. No Cramps that night. Then I started taking the prescription Quninine, and I am approaching two weeks without muscle cramps. I periodically sense that my muscles want to cramp, but they do not follow through on the threat. One top of that, and I have no proof, but my Gallbladder pain has subsided and almost disappeared. I was able to eat a banana cream pie without any negative Gallbladder effect. I guess I will need to go without to see if my symptoms return, but don't want to do so at this point. It may be a miracle drug for me. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.50.13.4 (talk) 18:09, 19 June 2008 (UTC)
  • The discussion of other proven uses is interesting. But... I had exactly the same experience as Cuffy. Except that i took dark-chocolate peanut M&Ms instead of quinine water. And i hadn't "decided to see if" they "would/could make any difference". So i wasn't thinking of them as a treatment, and i didn't realize until i saw Cuffy's post that i should have interpreted them as what cured me. But the M&Ms are a better medicine, bcz they don't taste so bitter; Screw quinine.
    --Jerzyt 22:18, 4 May 2009 (UTC)

Possible extra image

I've uploaded an image for tonic water (Image:Tonic water uv.jpg) showing the fluorescence of quinine. It might make an interesting addition to this article (but probably not to Canada Dry or black light) Splarka 00:30, 22 Jun 2005 (UTC)

birth control

I heard something about quinine as birth control in india. anybody? Lotusduck 04:52, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

In high enough quinities it is a abortifactant, but then again so are many drugs at high quinities, at such levels the effects are toxic enough to kill, and if you survive its likely the fetus did not.—Preceding unsigned comment added by BerserkerBen (talkcontribs) 06:56, 2 January 2006
  • Okay, I think it was being used in a form of under the skin birth control measure. In india. This PBS website says it was some kind of supository, I assume they do not mean diaphragm.
    "1886- The first commercially manufactured birth control suppository is produced in England by London chemist W. J. Rendell. The quinine and "cacao-nut butter" suppository, known as "Rendell's," was somewhat effective and commonly used in England until World War II." http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/timeline/ But I still haven't found anything like that documentary I'm pretty sure I saw on quinine extracts being implanted under the skin and working as a birth control patch. Lotusduck 14:32, 2 January 2006 (UTC)
    if you can find a credible source/refreance then you should put it into the article.—Preceding unsigned comment added by BerserkerBen (talkcontribs) 23:11, 2 January 2006

Production

I'm in contact with some producing companies of Quinine, If any one knows more producers, we could add a production section to the encyclopedia. This would give an added value because people would start consulting and contributing for comercial information as well. please comment. Antrax 13:10, 17 January 2006 (UTC)


FDA Relabeling of Quinine

I replaced the section heading immediately above, which formerly read, misleadingly: FDA Ban on Quinine
--Jerzyt 05:54, 5 May 2009 (UTC)
July/Aug 1995 FDA Consumer Updates:[1]

Less than a year after ordering a halt to the marketing of over-the-counter (OTC) quinine sulfate for night leg cramps based on its serious risks, FDA ordered a stop to the marketing of prescription quinine for this use because even under a doctor's care, its risks outweigh any possible benefits.

In January, FDA sent warning letters to 44 companies stating that it is unlawful to market their quinine sulfate products for night leg cramp relief because FDA has not approved the drug for this use. By the end of March, all major manufacturers and distributors had stopped labeling their products for this use, including Marion Merrell Dow, the manufacturer of the original and best-known quinine drug, Quinamm.

From 1969 through June 1992, FDA received 157 reports of health problems related to quinine use, including 23 that resulted in death. Nonserious problems included temporary sight and hearing disturbances, dizziness, fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Serious problems included thrombocytopenia, a destruction of blood platelets that can lead to massive bleeding and sometimes death.

After weighing the benefits and risks of OTC quinine sulfate for night leg cramps, FDA concluded that quinine is not safe and effective for this use because:

  • No studies demonstrate that quinine is effective against night leg cramps.
  • Night leg cramps are not a threat to life or health.
  • Health risks outweigh any small potential benefits.

Based on this finding, the agency published a rule in the Aug. 22, 1994, Federal Register prohibiting OTC marketing of the drug for leg cramps.

FDA also proposed to stop OTC marketing of quinine for another use--to prevent or treat malaria. The public has until July 3 to comment on the proposal, published in the April 19, 1995, Federal Register. The agency based the proposal on its conclusion that physician monitoring is essential to the safe and effective treatment of this serious, potentially life-threatening disease.

--Ilfusco 17:19, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

The cited site clearly implies the preceding quoted text is not under copyright. --Jerzyt 05:54, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

  • A co-worker said to drink tonic water to relieve leg cramping at night and it worked immediately. Nobody could tell me why. This seems to be a valuable, inexpensive solution to an annoying, non-life threatening condition. Just want to get the word out. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.75.34.2 (talk) 04:03, 18 March 2006
    Quinine is still frequently prescribed in the UK for night leg cramps. No evidence of benefit is not the same as evidence of no benefit. --Gak 20:02, 20 February 2007 (UTC)
  • Just a quick note: Quinine *is* available over the counter in the U.S., not just with a prescription. It is sometimes difficult to find, however.
    —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.45.133.114 (talk) 12:44, 4 September 2006
    • OK, that is consistent with what the FDA info says, and the FDA info insinuates that some continued availability was anticipated. But many retailers IMO are likely to estimate what profit they can expect from carrying it, and to be urged by their lawyers, or required as a condition of insurance, to stop selling in light of the difficulty of giving the jury the impression of being a responsible part of the health-care system after trying to explain to a plaintiff's estate's lawyers what motivated them to continue to sell "this poisonous substance" after the FDA told them about the 23 deaths.
      --Jerzyt 05:54, 5 May 2009 (UTC)
  • Can doctors prescribe Quinine to patients for the treatment of leg cramps with leg cramps being the only symptoms? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.88.216.214 (talk) 16:24, 16 August 2007
    • The FDA info above certainly suggests they want to discourage it. But American physicians in general may prescribe for off-label use nearly any prescription drug that has one use that is, as guess you'd call it, on-label. (Seems to me that i recall nearly all cosmetic botox use being off-label.)
      My foot cramps before falling asleep are not a regular thing, but annoying when they come; when i mentioned them, my doc said "Well, you could try tonic water." (I got an off-brand of sweetened "lemon tonic", and got down about 2 oz. before realizing it's too bitter -- a fairly strong signal what you're drinking is toxic, BTW -- unless i cut it with an equal amount of grape juice. Time will tell.)
      --Jerzyt 05:54, 5 May 2009 (UTC)
  • The FDA material quoted at the start of this section was placed on this talk page under a section heading
    FDA Ban on Quinine
altho the page it came from reads
FDA Orders Stop to Marketing Of Quinine for Night Leg Cramps
Note that "marketing" for that purpose does not mean in this context "sale" for that purpose, but something like "promotion" or "advertising" for that purpose.
--Jerzyt 05:54, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

New Compound Better Treament for Malaria

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070125/lf_nm/malaria_cure_shrub_dc_1;_ylt=Als.8ByQyc7yOfW1k.PBh83mWMcF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGVna3NhBHNlYwNzc3JlbA--

Copyright-protected material removed here -intranetusa—Preceding unsigned comment added by Intranetusa (talkcontribs) 20:09, 27 January 2007

  • The link given is dead, but Reuters gives the original article. Paraphrasing what INU quoted, Sweet Wormwood a.k.a. Artemisia annua has documented record of 1,600-year-plus use in Chinese medicine, and the WHO sees it as having an important rule in malaria therapy, at least for impeding the development of drug resistance against other agents.
    --Jerzyt 06:23, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

Quinine/quinidine

So it's implied in this article that quinidine is also an antimalarial. Is quinine also an antiarrhythmic? --Galaxiaad 00:42, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

William Perkin & Mauveine

This article should at least mention in passing that William Perkin accidentally produced Mauveine while trying to oxidize Toluidine into synthetic Quinine. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.195.46.11 (talk) 22:57, 25 April 2007 (UTC).
Bfresser pretty credibly claimed the preceding edit by adding the following sig 5.9 minutes later:
--Bfesser 23:03, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Consug University Hospital

Being a university student from Sweden, I was very puzzled when I read the reference to Sweden's Consug University Hospital. I have never heard of such a university in Sweden, and all hits on Google refer to this Wikipedia page. Does anyone know anything about this? 130.238.7.41 07:31, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

IPA

The IPA pronunciation of the word is most definitely incorrect. The given pronunciation would sound like "queen-een," and surely no one says it that way. Can someone who can enter IPA text please put up the correct pronunciation? (It should be something like /'kwaInaIn/ or /kwI'ni:n/ depending on the speaker--the vowels should be checked.) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.32.205.160 (talk) 23:28, 19 July 2007

I've added the most common pronunciations as above, but left the old one in anyway. Someone with better knowledge of the IPA and/or the intricacies of the regional varieties of English should probably check :) Fvasconcellos (t·c) 22:36, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

Uhh, this is now four years old, but here in Australia we DO pronounce it as "queen-een". Oh dear, you Americans are so terrified of hard vowels !!!! Old_Wombat (talk) 10:00, 28 October 2011 (UTC)

quinine and alcohol

hi does anyone have any information on the interaction between quinine and alcohol? Markthemac 00:36, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

In all seriousness, Gin and Tonic makes a wonderful mosquito repellent, as well as a refreshing beverage. Apparently both the Gin and the Tonic Water (quinine), both together and separately, affect the chemicals in perspiration, which discourages mosquitos from biting. Old_Wombat (talk) 10:04, 28 October 2011 (UTC)

IUPAC name

The two IUPAC names are inconsistent. This means that one is wrong (most likely). I think the one in the infobox is. I am going to make them consistent. Please feel free to reply and correct. --Kupirijo (talk) 11:08, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

King Louis XIV

the article states: "It was first brought to Europe by Jesuits and it was also used to cure King Louis XIV." What disease was King Louis XIV cured of? His Wikipedia page does not mention him having Malaria. If he did how did he catch it and when? It just seems like an odd and unsupported comment to put in the page. It also does not do much to illuminate the reader regarding the Jesuits and their role in the history of quinine. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.216.70.62 (talk) 21:53, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

  • It indeed deserves verification, but curing a king or pope of malaria would be a significant advance in acceptance of the treatment, and belong in the article on the curative agent. Mention of malaria should indeed be omitted from a bio, unless it screwed up something significant -- like collecting the taxes directly -- that old Lou would have done if he'd felt better, or if his recovery made possible some significant event.
    You ask
"how did he catch it and when?"
Are you kidding? Doesn't everyone know that he must have been bitten by an Anopheles mosquito? (I checked the lk to be sure i was right, but even got the spelling right on the first try.) Hmm. Or Aegyptus? No, nor Aegyptes, Egyptus, nor Egyptes ... but i think there's another group of malarial mosquitoes. Anyway, probably not at Versailles, but somewhere where he had occasion to travel past swampy ground, perhaps to Paris to address foreign dignitaries, or on a hunting trip. (Hey, The Baroque Cycle ends with a French King shooting waterfowl from a boat, and i think waterfowl require some marshy areas, which would support mosquitoes.) Does our article Malaria not explain that mal aria is Italian for "bad air"? (This reflects the belief that the stink of swamps, not what they breed, explains the illnesses you catch near them -- in the age of dis-asters (bad stars), smoke and masks as protection from the (flea-bite-delivered viral bacterial!) bubonic plague, la influenza ("the influence" - of swamps, stars, spirits?), cholera (presumably re excess of the choleric humor), and probably others that i can't come up with).
As to when: Since the disease is parasitic and long-term, its course is probably a slow, nearly exponential buildup from nothing noticeable thru malaise (hmm, malaise is not interesting; probably just French for "badness") to debilitation, periodic crises, and death during one of the crises; i assume most victims are regarded as sick only months or years after infection, and that only modern researchers could make even guesses at plausibly timed opportunities for infection.
--Jerzyt 07:33, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

WikiProject Food and drink Tagging

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Quinine concentration in Schweppes Indian Tonic Water

We've been using Schweppes Indian Tonic Water to very successfully control night leg cramps. Today, I decided to research the possible side effects of quinine ingestion, and began by reading the label to find the concentration of quinine:

- Our 1.25 litre bottle lists quinine at 0.5%, which works out to about 5,000mg/litre.
- The Schweppes consumer info representative assured me that it was actually 83mg/litre, which tallies with the maximum regulated concentration for non-medical use as listed in the Wikipedia article.
- That same Wikipedia section also specifically mentions Schweppes tonic water, giving the concentration at 0.4mg/litre, which is much less again.

As soon as I find out which of these three is correct, I'll update the article accordingly. (I suspect that Schweppes will also have to update their labels!) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ian Fieggen (talkcontribs) 01:02, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

The 83 mg/l value is correct. The 0.5% refers to the percentage of quinine in tonic water relative to therapeutic water. Anon - Aug 09. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.42.200.208 (talk) 12:02, 8 August 2009 (UTC)
Further to the above research, Food Standards Australia New Zealand lists a maximum permissible concentration of 100mg per kilogram (around 0.01%) in water based flavoured drinks (such as tonic water). Here's the relevant section of the standard:
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/Standard_1_3_1_Additives_Part_2_v1111.pdf
. Permitted uses of food additives by food type
. . 14.1.3 Water based flavoured drinks
. . . Quinine: 100 mg/kg (tonic drinks, bitter drinks and quinine drinks only)
Ian Fieggen (talk) 03:35, 25 November 2009 (UTC)
Another follow-up: I put my query to Food Safety Victoria, who in turn contacted Schweppes. They responded that although the actual percentage is less than 0.1%, they had rounded up to the nearest 0.5%, as specified in the Food Standards Code. Schweppes will now amend the labelling with a more accurate figure in early 2010. Ian Fieggen (talk) 04:02, 18 December 2009 (UTC)

Other use if quinine

In Italy, quinine is a flavour ingredient of the China Martini liquor (pronounced "keena martini", and which has nothing whatsoever to do with China the country). I did some web searches for a suitable link describing it, but I could only find http://liquorblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/china-martini.html which has been reverted by a bot after I added it. So I give up trying to add a mention of China Martini to the page, but I welcome someone with more Wikipedia experience than me to give it a try. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.98.40.92 (talk) 13:26, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Quinine for prion treatment

Hi, i searched in Pubmed and found this article: Quinoline Derivatives Are Therapeutic Candidates for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/fref.fcgi?PrId=3494&itool=AbstractPlus-nondef&uid=14722283&nlmid=0113724&db=pubmed&url=http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=14722283

I think someone confused it with quinoline, which is an organic compound. (The double ring with a nitrogen present en quinine) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.234.53.211 (talk) 15:45, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for looking into this. I'll go ahead and remove the last phrase in the current lead: "there have been attempts (with limited success) to treat prion diseases[citation needed]." (As an aside: a citation shouldn't be given in the lead, anyway, I've come to learn - but something mentioned in the lead should be expanded in the body, and cited there.) If someone else discovers a source that does mention the use of quinine to treat prion-related diseases, then they can add that info. to the article body. Memetics (talk) 13:13, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease) Quinacrine Study was done by the NIH for sporadic CJD. http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00183092 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.108.104.36 (talk) 23:50, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Chinotto drinks

There is a mention of Brio in the nonmedical uses section and I just added mention of San Pellegrino Chinotto. The article says both are available in Canada but the products are of Italian origin and imported into Canada from Italy, so perhaps someone who lives there or is familiar with what goes on there could add something on the chinotto drinks. 69.172.94.21 (talk) 06:15, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

Stevens Johnson Syndrome/ Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis reaction to Quinine

There is no reference in this article regarding specific potential serious side effects of using Quinine. In 1995, after being prescribed Quinine for leg cramps (during dialysis), I experienced a 7 week hospitalization--later diagnosed as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TENS). Four weeks after getting out of the hospital, I once again was given Quinine for leg cramps and ended up in the hospital for one week. This time I was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome as a reaction to Quinine. These are very serious allergic reactions to this drug, and need to be mentioned as possible side effects. Thank You. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.17.235.223 (talk) 20:18, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

Quinine vs. Quine

While I was searching for the Quine (Computing) article, I kept coming back to this one, due to the similarity of Quine and Quinine. Perhaps a line could be added at the top to the effect of "Do not confuse this with Quine"? Aero-Plex (talk) 20:55, 2 October 2011 (UTC)

Better sources for the legally allowed limits of quinine in tonic water, in the US

I am uncomfortable with editing this article to change a reference as I admit to being unfamiliar with the proper syntax, but the reference given for the legally allowed limits of quinine in tonic water is from an old article that does not link to its source. I have found two different sources, one from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau [1] and one from U.S. Government Printing office [2]

I just wanted to leave these for someone willing to add them into the article properly. If no one does within the next few days I'll take a crack at figuring it out without messing up the whole article. Ergasiophobiac (talk) 01:15, 26 February 2013 (UTC)

Thomas Morson: isolation of quinine?

I deleted the claim that the English chemist and pharmacist Thomas Newborn Robert Morson (1799-1874), working independently, was among the first investigators to isolate quinine. There was no contemporary technical article in which such a claim was made. Morson himself never made any such claim. Furthermore, in a biography of Morson by one of his descendants, no such claim is made; see: Anthony Morson, Operative Chymist (Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Rodopi B. V., 1997), page 26:
"The most important discovery was Pelletier's and Caventou's of quinine. Morson saw the process being operated by Henry whose responsibility it was to supply the Paris hospitals. Morson knew Pelletier, whose firm became the largest manufacturer of this alkaloid. … In view of contacts with Pelletier later, it is likely that this factory was also visited."
It is true that in 1818-1821, Morson studied plant chemistry in Paris, and that he did know Pelletier (who isolated quinine), and that he was the first person in Britain to prepare and sell quinine. However, he was not among the first to isolate quinine.Cwkmail (talk) 19:38, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

Chlorophyll

It may confuse people that the picture of Robert B. Woodward shows the structure of what appears to be chlorophyll. AlphaHelical (talk) 03:44, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

Chloroquine phosphate

There is no mention of the visual side-effects associated with using quinine in the treatment of malaria. Hydroxychloroquine was preferred, as chloroqine phosphate was associated with retinopathy. When anti-malarials are used in the treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematosis, opthalmologic examination is recommended every 3-4 months. In Somerset Maugham's Far Eastern stories, the expats always had a G&T at sunset for a reason. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SisterNancy (talkcontribs) 14:36, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

How can you remove quinine from tonic water

I want to know how to remove the quinine from tonic water I have leg cramps and I just want pure quinine but I have no insurance so I can't go to the doctors A8v (talk) 11:30, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not an ask board. Try your query somewhere else. The Manic Puppeteer (talk) 20:21, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

Beverage

Should add this: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubonnet — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.255.37.142 (talk) 21:33, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

Salumbrino's role in discovery of quinine ?

At present this article states: "The Jesuit brother Agostino Salumbrino (1564–1642), an apothecary by training who lived in Lima, observed the Quechua using the bark of the cinchona tree for that purpose. While its effect in treating malaria (and hence malaria-induced shivering) was unrelated to its effect in controlling shivering from rigors, it was still a successful medicine for malaria. At the first opportunity, Salumbrino sent a small quantity to Rome to test as a malaria treatment."

I've been investigating this claim that Salumbrino recognized cinchona bark's febrifuge property. It's suspect and should be denoted as such.

The claim that Salumbrino recognized cinchona bark's medicinal properties does NOT appear in any of the Jesuit biographies that feature him. See, for example:

  • Juan Eusebio Nieremberg and Alonso de Andrade, Varones Ilustres en Santidad, Letras, y Zelo de las Almas. De la Compañia de Jesus. [Illustrious men in holiness, letters, and zeal for souls. Of the Society of Jesus (i.e., Jesuits).] (Madrid, Spain: Joseph Fernandez de Buendia, 1666), vol. 5, Vida del devoto Hermano Agustin Salumbrino (The life of the devout Brother Agustin Salumbrino), pp. 612-628. (in Spanish) This book is the source of most subsequent biographies of Salumbrino, yet it doesn't even mention cinchona bark.
  • Basilio Sebastian Castellanos de Losada, ed., Biografia Eclesiastica Completa (Madrid, Spain, 1865), volume 25, pp. 297-310. (in Spanish) Again, no mention of cinchona bark in connection with Salumbrino.
  • This book on Jesuits in Peru — Enrique Torres Saldamando, Los Antiguos Jesuitas del Perú [The old Jesuits of Peru] (Lima, Peru: Imprenta Liberal, 1882), pp. 180-191 ; see especially p. 181. (in Spanish) — does mention a shipment of cinchona bark to Europe in 1631, but nowhere in the book does Salumbrino's name appear.

The earliest claim, which I've found, that Salumbrino recognized cinchona bark as a febrifuge and that he was involved in shipping a quantity of it to Europe occurs in:

  • Luis Martín, The Intellectual Conquest of Peru: The Jesuit College of San Pablo, 1568-1767 (Fordham University Press, 1968), pp. 101, 115.

However, the claims in Martín's book that Salumbrino recognized cinchona bark as a febrifuge and that he was involved in shipping a quantity of it to Europe, are just surmise. There is evidence that Salumbrino was trained as and practiced as a pharmacist; that he maintained a garden where he grew medicinal plants; that he worked in a hospital in Lima, Peru, as a male nurse. He was therefore in a position to recognize cinchona bark's medicinal properties and to participate in a shipment of it abroad. But where's the evidence that he actually did these things?

This source —

  • Fiammetta Rocco, The Miraculous Fever-Tree: Malaria, Medicine and the Cure that Changed the World (Harper Collins, 2012).

repeated Martín's claim and now that claim appears in many modern sources. For example, Alberto Bailetti has presented a very detailed biography of Salumbrino, again crediting him with the recognition (by a European) of cinchona bark's medicinal properties and with sending a quantity of the bark to Europe:

Because there is no evidence to support the claims regarding Salumbrino and cinchona bark, those claims should be marked as "dubious, discuss".

VexorAbVikipædia (talk) 22:26, 5 January 2016 (UTC)

Are there any reliable sources that discuss this? I am concerned we could slip into WP:Original Research. Feel free to mark the statement as dubious as this is the discussion related to it. Sizeofint (talk) 20:11, 6 January 2016 (UTC)
Firstly, thank you for your prompt reply.
Over the years, there has been considerable research into the question of how cinchona bark was recognized as a cure for malaria, and when and how it arrived in Europe. (I will outline the current knowledge below.) The problem is that some errors were made in the course of the research, and some time was required to recognize and correct those errors.
At present, the story is as follows: In May of 1631, the viceroy of Peru, Geronimo Fernandez de Cabrera Bobadilla y Mendoza, Count of Chinchon, contracted malaria. His doctors couldn't cure him. His wife sought a cure. Finally, in desperation, they tried an Indian remedy for fever: powdered cinchona bark mixed with wine or water. The treatment worked: by June of 1631, the viceroy was cured. Knowing that malaria was endemic in Rome, the Jesuits sent a shipment of it to Europe in 1631. This story can be solidly documented using both primary and secondary sources. This article — Francisco Medina Rodríguez (July 2007) "Precisiones sobre la historia de la quina" (Details about the history of quinine), Reumatología Clínica, 3 (4) : 194-196 (in Spanish). — provides the most accurate account of the early history of cinchona bark therapy at present.
However, some errors were made before this version was established:
(1) In earlier accounts, it was the viceroy's wife, not the viceroy, who had malaria. The British explorer Clements Markham (1830-1916) led an expedition to Peru in 1859-61, in order to gather cinchona seeds for planting in British India, in order to provide a source of quinine. Markham wrote a series of monographs and articles about his expedition and his findings. Unfortunately, he spread far and wide the version of the story in which it was the viceroy's wife who had malaria. It wasn't until 1930 that someone examined the old city records of Lima, Peru, and the error was recognized — and it was also recognized that Markham had identified the viceroy's first wife as the victim, whereas by 1631, the viceroy's first wife had died and he had remarried. Markham had sanctified the wrong wife.
(2) More recently, a Jesuit brother, Agustino Salumbrino, was introduced into the story. In his book of 1968, Luis Martín speculated that since Salumbrino was a pharmacist in Lima at the time that the viceroy was ill, it was Salumbrino who provided the cinchona bark to the viceroy and it was Salumbrino who provided the cinchona bark that was sent to Spain. However, Martin didn't provide any evidence that Salumbrino did either of those things; and even Salumbrino's earliest biography of 1666 doesn't mention any of this. Nevertheless, this speculation "filled" gaps in our knowledge about the origins of cinchona bark therapy, so it has now spread far and wide through many modern sources. Thus the "Quinine" article presently contains "original research".
If it's acceptable, I will delete the mention of Salumbrino (otherwise, the error will continue to spread) and replace it with the account of the viceroy (which is well documented). If you feel a bit uneasy about this, I would point out that this is not the first time that I've exposed an error like this one. Wikipedia's article Glasses originally claimed that Salvino D'Armati invented eyeglasses. However, I cited the work of several investigators, who proved that the d'Amarti claim was a hoax. (See Wikipedia's article Salvino D'Armati.) Also, Wikipedia's article Charles Thilorier claimed that he had discoverd dry ice — until I again found sources that proved that it was actually Adrien-Jean-Pierre Thilorier who discovered dry ice. So I have experience in debunking errors in historical accounts.
VexorAbVikipædia (talk) 02:44, 7 January 2016 (UTC)
Since the viceroy account is well documented it can be added to the article. It may be better to leave the Salumbrino portion and state that it is only speculation provided we have a source that supports saying it is speculation. This way we don't run the risk of another editor re-adding this content in the future. If we do not have such a source I suppose deleting the Salumbrino story may be appropriate. Sizeofint (talk) 03:26, 7 January 2016 (UTC)

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Opening defiinition

Quinine is first an alkaloid or amine found in the bark of the Cinchona tree, second, used as a medication. That should be reflected in the definition. The definition section does not seem to be enabled to editing, can someone who is authorized to do so make that change, if appropriate? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.247.14.33 (talk) 17:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)