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9780006532354

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'This engrossing, beautifully crafted history is a parable for our times, I believe, underscoring the foolishness of men, with some rare exceptions, and the munificence of Nature' Adrian Hartley, Spectator 'Absorbing and superbly researched' Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times 'A fascinating account of quinine's key role in the making of the modern world. Many have tried to tell this tale, and it is a testament to Rocco's flair and sheer hard work that she has found new things to say' Gail Vines, Independent 'Fiammetta Rocco's wonderfully elegant book, drawing on previously undiscovered documents, attacks its subject as hungrily as a mosquito detecting its next meal' Philip Blackmore, Catholic Herald 'Fascinating![Rocco] writes beautifully, her personal anecdotes intertwining with a fast-paced historical survey of the disease and the quest for a cure. And it is an exciting story, rich in suffering, conflict, bravery, curiosity, bigotyr, inventiveness, greed -- you name it!The Miraculous Fever-Tree is lovingly researched and written. It is the kind of book that opens up exciting new worlds of knowledge' Anna Paterson, Scotland on Sunday 'Snappy and sharp, picaresque but scholarly; it's almost a crime that so heinous a disease should be treated to so grand a biography' Kirkus Reviews

'This engrossing, beautifully crafted history is a parable for our times, I believe, underscoring the foolishness of men, with some rare exceptions, and the munificence of Nature' Adrian Hartley, Spectator 'Absorbing and superbly researched' Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times 'A fascinating account of quinine's key role in the making of the modern world. Many have tried to tell this tale, and it is a testament to Rocco's flair and sheer hard work that she has found new things to say' Gail Vines, Independent 'Fiammetta Rocco's wonderfully elegant book, drawing on previously undiscovered documents, attacks its subject as hungrily as a mosquito detecting its next meal' Philip Blackmore, Catholic Herald

The devastating effects of malaria in ancient and mediaeval times cannot be overstated. The disease killed millions and stunted the growth of entire civilizations. Indeed, many historians have suggested that malaria led indirectly to the fall of ancient Greece and the Roman empire. It is known that Alexander the Great fell victim to the disease, and that the 'remedy' of bloodletting killed untold numbers who may otherwise have survived. Against this background of a ravaging plague, anyone coming up with a cure should have been hailed as a saviour. But it didn't happen that way. Indeed, when quinine - the antidote to malaria - was first introduced, it provoked violent demonstrations of opposition. Many in Europe, including the leading medics, believed it to be a Papist poison designed to rid the world of Protestants. Such was the mindset of the time that it was not until quinine cured Charles II of malaria in 1678 that the lifesaver became accepted for what it was. Fiammetta Rocco, literary editor of The Economist and herself a malaria sufferer, writes an engrossing narrative of how the commercial battle for possession of quinine - then known as Peruvian bark or Jesuit's powder - turned into a stampede and, incidentally, encouraged Western imperial adventures in the tropics. Much of Rocco's information comes from centuries-old documents whose value has not been previously recognized. In the El Libro de Viaticos y Amacen inventories, for instance, she discovered telling information recorded by early 17th-century Jesuits that reveals much about the pharmaceuticals of that time. Rocco's story starts and ends in Africa, while taking readers along the way to Rome, South America, England, India and Italy. She has created a fascinating and highly readable study. (Kirkus UK)

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Fiammetta Rocco is the literary editor of the Economist.

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