Original preparation of quinine acetate by Pelletier, 1810-1840

In 1820, Pierre Joseph Pelletier (1788-1842), a French chemist, and Joseph Caventou (1795-1877), a French pharmacist, isolated quinine and extracted it from cinchona bark. Cinchona had long been used to treat fevers, most notably malaria. Quinine is what makes the bark so effective as a treatment for the disease. This preparation was made by Pelletier and was collected by Captain Peter Johnston-Saint, one of Henry Wellcome’s agents, in 1934. It is shown here with similar examples (A182555 and A182561).