The Fever Tree — A Bark that Changed the World
This comic discusses the existence and discovery of a tree that a few centuries ago, changed the entire trajectory of human health and history. From deep in die Andes of today’s Peru, to the Jesuit‘s arrival in South America and the medicine they brought back to Europe. The bark of this tree started saving people from falling to the disease of malaria. Which historians say, may have killed 18-50% of the entire population that has ever lived on this earth. Malaria is still ravaging today in many parts of the world, such as Africa. So, how did this miraculous bark really impact us, and what is the state of it today?
Literatur- und Quellenverzeichnis
Wikipedia, Cinchona, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinchona Accessed January 14, 2026
Riepl, M. (2017) Quina, el casi extinto árbol medicinal del escudo de Perú que pocos patriotas conocen e inspiró el gin tonic. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-40744976 Accessed November 3, 2025
Reactions (2022) How Quinine Fights Malaria, and How That Caused* World War One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnvo53xUxP4 Accessed January 28, 2026
Seeker (2019) What Does Malaria Do to the Human Body? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFcvDVf1XRI Accessed January 10, 2026
Arrow KJ, Panosian C, Gelband H (2004) Saving Lives, Buying Time: Economics of Malaria Drugs in an Age of Resistance. 5 A Brief History of Malaria. National Academies Press (US)
Maja Neumann
"While looking for intriguing, coincidental medical discoveries, I stumbled upon the legends of the cinchona tree. A man drinking out of a pond and being miraculously healed, the countess of Cinchona receiving the bark. My preexisting interest in traditional medicine of indigenous communities motivated me to explore this topic further and surprised me when I realized how far the impact of the “fever tree” has travelled."