Intro | Chemistry | Sources | Affects History | History affects | Poor Countries | Undesired Effects | Substitutes | Conclusion
The Jesuit Powder:
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Before 1655, each time a papal conclave was held in Rome a number of the cardinals would die from malaria.
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In 1633, a number of the Jesuit order in Peru began using the Cinchona bark to treat and prevent malaria.
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In 1940 Father Bartolome Tafur took some of the bark with him to Rome and words of its miraculous effects were spread out very quickly.
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In the 1955 papal conclave, thanks to the cinchonal bark, no cardinal died.
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The Cinchona bark became then known as the Jesuit’s powder, as the Jesuits started importing large amounts and selling it through Europe.
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It became very popular from that time on.
World War II:
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During World War II, there was high demand for quinine.
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Extensive research led to the discovery of a derivative of quinine: chloroquine.
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Both quinine and chloroquine have the quinoline structure.
Quinine
Chloroquine