A Singular Remedy

Stefanie Gänger is Professor of Modern History at Heidelberg University, Germany.

'Building on extensive research in archives and libraries across various continents, A Singular Remedy follows the pathways of how cinchona and the stories and practices associated with it travelled and were shared across epistemic systems, medical traditions, tastes, social divides, and religious beliefs.' Miruna Achim, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City

• Introduction. A singular remedy; I.1 The outlines of cinchona; I.2 An appraisal of the historiography; I.3 Book structure; 1. Origin stories; 1.1 Unalienable truths; 1.2 Botanists by instinct; 1.3 Illiterate saviours; 2. The demands of humanity; 2.1 World bark trade; 2.2 Geographies of consumption; 2.3 Limits to distribution; 3. Community of practice; 3.1 'Proper evacuations'; 3.2 Preparations of the bark; 3.3 Proprietary medicines; 4. Febrile situations; 4.1 Marshes and wetlands; 4.2 Cities, ships and camps; 4.3 'Hot climates'; 5. Harvests of change; 5.1 The growth regions; 5.2 The spectre of extinction; 5.3 The bark cutters; Conclusion. A plant of the world.