QUININE, or QUININA (Neo-Lat. quinines, from Neo-Lat., Sp., l'ort., Quichua quina, qui nine). A white amorphous or crystalline powder with a very bitter taste, alkaline, very faintly soluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, dilute acids, ether, or chloroform, and derived from the bark of Cinchona ealisaya, Cinehona rubra, and other varieties of Peruvian bark. The symbol of quinine is Its dose is from one to forty grains. There are five official salts of quinine. Quinine sulphate is the white, crys talline powder commonly called quinine, extreme ly and persistently bitter, faintly soluble in water (1 in 740 parts), moderately soluble in alcohol, soluble in weak acid. Its symbol is 7H„0. Its (lose is from one to forty grains. Quinine bisulphate occurs in clear, color less crystals or needles, very bitter and with an acid reaction, soluble in water and alcohol. The symbol is + Dose, one to forty grains. Quinine hydrobronr1afe occurs in colorless needles, hitter, soluble in fifty-four parts of water. freely in alcohol. Symbol, Dose, one to twenty grains. Qui nine hydroehlorate occurs in white needles ar ranged in tufts, bitter, soluble in thirty-four parts of water. freely soluble in alcohol. and suit able for hypodermic use. Its symbol is COI„N„, and its dose is from one to ten or twenty grains. Quinine ralerianate occurs in white pearly crystals with the characteristic repulsive odor of valerian, bitter, soluble in alco hol. and in one hundred parts of water. Its symbol is its dose, one to three grains.
Among the unofficial salts of quinine are the carbamide hydrochlorate, the amorphous borate, and euquinine (the ethyl carbonate).
Quinine is used in medicine as a bitter tonic, an antiperiodic, and antipyretic. It has also anti septic properties. It depresses the heart when given in large doses, and after long-eontinued use it affects the hearing unfavorably. It is excreted with the urine and occasionally produces renal and vesical irritation. Small doses produce by perremia of the brain, with a feeling of exhilara tion, while large doses cause cerebral congestion with vertigo, staggering, headache, deafness, de lirium, and even coma, comprising the condition termed cinchonism.
The principal use of quinine is in malarial affections, in which it reduces the fever, increases the numbers of the white blood-corpuseles. pre vents the acetification and decay of the blood, and poisons the plasmodia which cause the dis ease. In some cases it acts more advantageously when combined with capsicum or with arsenic, or with potassium nitrate. The custom of taking quinine frequently for catarrhal attacks or as a prophylactic is very harmful. Besides the injuri ous effects upon the hearing, which are positive and permanent, it seriously weakens the heart and renders the system so used to it that the drug becomes useless when required. See MA LARIA AND MALARIAL FEVER; INTERMITTENT FEVER; AGUE.