By the mid-nineteenth century, the bark of the cinchona tree was widely sought after. It contained quinine, an effective malarial treatment much needed in tropical climates. However, it was indigenous only to Peru. This book, first published in 1862, tells the remarkable story behind the cinchona's introduction to India.

Sir Clements Robert Markham (1830-1916) had a lifelong interest in Peru. Having already travelled there in his early twenties, he was commissioned to return ten years later to supervise the collection of sufficient specimens of the cinchona tree for its introduction to India. The bark of the tree yielded quinine, by then a well-known febrifuge and one of the few effective treatments for malaria. This book, originally published in 1862, is Markham's personal account of his travels. His story moves from the misty heights of the Peruvian mountains, where he suffered from altitude sickness, to the Malabar coastline and its complex, remarkable caste system. Markham also includes a detailed history of the use of cinchona bark, both by Europeans and aboriginal Peruvians, and a discussion of Incan culture since the arrival of the Spanish. His work is still a valuable resource for students of scientific and colonial history.