Cinchona febrifuge.—

Dr. King reports:—"Increased experience in the use of the new medicine during the past year has served to establish a large amount of confidence in it. Complaints of its nauseating are now rarely heard, and many medical practitioners of experience affirm that page 32 instead of being less potent in the cure of fever than quinine, the Cinchona febrifuge is quite equal, if not superior, to the more expensive drug. The proper dose of the febrifuge is, moreover, found to be about the same as or even less than the dose of quinine."

The nausea and vomiting which the febrifuge has been credited with producing appear to have been the result of the too large doses which were given. Similar effects would have followed from equally large doses of quinine. The presence of aricine in the febrifuge, to which these unpleasant effects were attributed, appears to be doubtful, according to Dr. O. Hesse (Pharm. Journ. 3rd ser., vol. ix., p. 839).

"Quinine," Dr. King states, during the year 1877-78, was very high in price, and in Calcutta it for some time stood at 20 rupees per ounce, a sum for which 16 ounces of the febrifuge were always obtainable. The saving to Government by the substitution of Cinchona febrifuge for quinine in their hospitals and dispensaries has already been considerable. I calculate that at a moderate estimate it amounts to over three lakhs of rupees (30,000l. sterling)."