History Jesuit's bark

the history of cinchona bark, dates more 300 years, has influenced of pharmacy, botany, medicine, trade, theoretical , practical chemistry, , tropical agriculture. circa 1650, physician sebastiano bado declared bark had proved more precious mankind gold , silver spaniards had obtained south america, , world confirmed opinion. see swords, ships , sugar - history of nevis, vincent k. hubbard, p. 73, large amount of peruvian bark had been captured pirate basil ringrose, known gentleman pirate , noting @ time spaniards had monopoly on production . in 18th century, italian professor of medicine ramazzini said introduction of peruvian bark of same importance medicine discovery of gunpowder art of war, opinion endorsed contemporary writers on history of medicine. value of jesuit s bark, , controversy surrounding it, both recognized benjamin franklin, wittily commented upon in poor richard s almanac october, 1749, telling story of robert talbot s use of cure french dauphin. whoever has searched annals of cinchona recognize truth of following observations of weddel (d. 1877): few subjects in natural history have excited general interest in higher degree cinchona; none perhaps have hitherto merited attention of greater number of distinguished men . dissension, however, rife @ time, due source of discovery, jesuits. great alexander von humboldt said, goes without saying among protestant physicians hatred of jesuits , religious intolerance lie @ bottom of long conflict on or harm effected peruvian bark .

sebastiano bado s book on chinchona

the spanish jesuit missionaries in peru taught healing power of bark natives, between 1620 , 1630, when jesuit @ loxa indebted use cure attack of malaria (loxa bark). used @ recommendation of jesuits in 1630, when countess of chinchon (cinchon; derivative cinchona, appellation selected carl linnaeus in 1742; clements markham preferred chinchona), wife of new viceroy, had arrived europe, taken ill malaria @ lima. countess saved death, , in thanksgiving caused large quantities of bark collected. distributed malaria sufferers, partly in person , partly through jesuits of st. paul s college @ lima (pulvis comitissæ). returned europe in 1640 , first bring bark there spread use through spain , rest of continent, stated markham. earliest transportation of bark must thank jesuit barnabé de cobo (1582–1657; cobæa plant), rendered important services in exploration of mexico , peru. in capacity of procurator of peruvian province of order, brought bark lima spain, , afterwards rome , other parts of italy, in 1632. in meanwhile merits must have been ascertained both in lima , in various parts of europe, count chinchon , physician juan de vega brought them in 1640.

count chinchon, however, troubled himself little use or sale of bark. greater distribution resulted large quantity brought on jesuit bartolomé tafur, who, cobo, came spain in 1643 while procurator of peruvian province of order, proceeded through france (there alleged cure of young louis xiv, when still dauphin, effected father tafur means of peruvian bark), , thence italy far rome.

the celebrated jesuit theologian john de lugo, became cardinal in 1643, learned cinchona tafur, , remained 1643 until death in 1660 faithful advocate, zealous defender, , generous, disinterested dispenser in italy , rest of europe, honoured in appellation of pulvis cardinalis, pulvis lugonis, , having several portraits painted of him. de lugo had bark analysed pope s physician in ordinary, gabriele fonseca, reported on favourably. distribution among sick in rome took place on advice , consent of roman doctors. cardinal had more bark brought america on trade routes through spain. other patrons of drug in times appear have been directly influenced de lugo; as, instance, lay brother pietro paolo pucciarini, s. j. (1600–1661), apothecary in jesuit college @ rome, undoubtedly deserves greatest credit after de lugo distributing genuine unadulterated article, , whom attributed roman directions use schedula romana, earliest dating @ least 1651.

in friend honoré fabri, french jesuit, stayed time in rome, de lugo won determined defender of bark against first anticinchona pamphlet written brussels doctor jean-jacques chifflet. under pseudonym of antimus conygius, fabri wrote in 1655 first paper on cinchona published in italy, first of long list of brochures defending use , independent article on bark has been issued jesuit. 2 genoese, girolamo bardi, priest, , sebastiano baldo, physician, among pioneer advocates of plant, intimate cardinal, , baldo prefixed principal work letter de lugo, dated 1659, on cinchona, shows cardinal when seventy-seven years old still active in behalf.

circumstances created suitable opportunity disseminating bark rome throughout europe means of jesuits. in 1646, 1650, , 1652 delegates eighth, ninth, , tenth general councils of order (three each province) returned homes, taking them, , @ same time there evidence of use in jesuit colleges @ genoa, lyon, leuven, ratisbon, etc. remedy — connected name of jesuit — reached england. english weekly mercurius politicus in 1658 contained in 4 numbers announcement that: excellent powder known name of jesuit s powder may obtained several london chemists . remains recall fact in 17th , 18th centuries bark kept in jesuit pharmacies or in colleges considered particularly efficacious because better able provide genuine unadulterated supply. further, in 2 centuries jesuit missionaries took remedy malaria regions of foreign countries, reaching courts of peking in china , kyoto in japan, cured emperor means; in peru during 18th century urged american collectors lay out new plantations; , in 19th century first plant cinchona outside of south america.