When Quinine was King: A Note on the Global Ecology of Health

Abstract

This paper discusses the history of quinine as a cure for malaria. I provide an overview of the role quinine played in colonial projects in order to highlight the way medical cures are developed to serve the needs of power. I suggest that an archeology of "medical cures" offers insight into the actual geopolitical relationship of health problems that are often narrowly framed around problems with pathogens and people that inhabit local environments.