The Role of Chemistry in History

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Quinine in Third World Countries

April 17th, 2008 · No Comments ·

Intro | Chemistry | Sources | Affects History | History affects  | Poor Countries | Undesired Effects  | Substitutes | Conclusion

Breeding ground for mosquitoes

Breeding place for mosquitoes

  • Malaria is number one killer in many developping countires

  • Every year hundreds of millions suffer from malaria and 2 to 3 million of them die, mainly in Africa.

Adavantages of Quinine:

  • Quinine still being used in many developping countries as treatment against malaria

  • It is accessible and affordable, but not always reliable.

  • In many countries they have a lot of fake pills.

Disadvantages:

  • The quinine molecule has been instrumental in the exploitation of many developping countries.

  • The bark of the cinchona tree has brought barely any economic benefit to the indigenous people of the Andes.

 “Outsiders benefited from the the quinine molecule, exploiting a unique resource of a less developped country for their own advsantage”.

Napoleon’s Buttons: p.348-349.

  • Without quinine, most of today’s developping countries would not have been colonized and exploited for so long.
  • Finally, despite the existence of quinine and other drugs, malaria still is rife in poor countries.
  • There are conditions which facilitate the reproduction of the mosquitoes.
  • With such favorable conditions for its development, the parasite develops resitant forms to antimalarial drugs.

Tags: Quinine