Anthony Dimino, age 13, of Pocatello, Idaho, for his question:

WHERE DO WE GET QUININE?

Quinine is a bitter substance that is taken from the bark of the cinchona tree. It is used to treat malaria and other diseases. The trees from which quinine comes first grew along the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains in South America.

During the mid 1800s, many cinchona trees were planted in India and Indonesia, especially Java. Most of the quinine we use today comes from Java.

Quinine reduces the fever during attacks of malaria, but it does not cure the disease. Quinine is used to treat malaria in many tropical regions where the drug is cheap and easy to get. In the United States and Canada, however, quinine has largely been replaced by synthetic or man made drugs. These drugs are more expensive to produce, but they are much more effective and less dangerous to use against most types of malaria than quinine.

Doctors still use the drug quinine to treat and correct certain disorders of heart rhythm.