55 - The Fever Tree
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The Fever Tree: Cinchona's Legacy
This chapter explores the historical journey of cinchona bark, known as the fever tree, as a treatment for malaria, tracing its discovery and acceptance in various cultural contexts. It highlights the evolution of medical understanding and the debates surrounding its efficacy, as well as the significance of quinine in combating the disease.
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Where did cinchona, the first medication to cure malaria, come from? This episode explores the murky history of the bark of the fever tree and its derivative chloroquine with mysterious pre-Columbian Pacific crossings of the plasmodium parasite, Jesuit priests and Inca healers, a Chinese Emperor performing a clinical trial to treat his fever, chemistry leading to the first modern pharmaceuticals, and imperialism on a global scale. This episode is the first of a multi-part series exploring how hydroxychloroquine became the great hope for treating COVID-19.
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