55 - The Fever Tree
Bedside Rounds
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This chapter examines the profound effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical practice and curiosity while introducing 'The Fever Tree,' which highlights the historical significance of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. It traces the origins of these treatments back to quinine and explores the evolving understanding of malaria and the intersection of science, history, and medicine.
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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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