L’isolement de la cinchonine par Bernardino António Gomes (1768-1823) et l’importance de la science française dans la diffusion de sa découverte

Abstract

The isolation of cinchonine by Bernardino António Gomes (1768-1823) and the importance of French science in the dissemination of his discovery – This article aims to highlight the repercussion, in France, of cinchonine’s isolation by the Portuguese physician Bernardino António Gomes (1768-1823). This was the first alkaloid isolated from cinchona bark, a plant known for its antimalarial properties. This work resulted in new studies in France, more notably, Pelletier and Caventou’s chemical analysis of cinchona barks, and their ensuing isolation of quinine in 1820, the alkaloid that replaced cinchona bark in clinical practice. The French scientists were crucial for the recognition of Gomes’ work, although they criticized his non-detection of the alkaline properties of cinchonine.