Quinine: The Miracle Drug

This picture depicts, quinine, an important medicinal technology that helped to enable European colonialism in the 19th century. 

Source: Wellcome Collection

One of the biggest hurdles that initially prevented Europeans from exploring the African continent and Indian subcontinent was the fact that malaria, carried by mosquitos, was a deadly disease that often prevented and discouraged them from undertaking massive colonial projects. The discovery quinine, an anti-malaria drug that was isolated from chinchona tree bark enabled the British and others to be able to survive the harsh conditions and disease they encountered. Prior to the discovery of the drug, death rates for Europeans undertaking journeys into the interior of the African continent and India were often very high (Cohen 23). Once malaria was effectively conquered, imperiailsts could turn their attention to bulding more permanent colonies and undertaking efforts to gain new territories and resources for exploitation, as well as embark on a civilizing mission towards the "primitive" and "savage" peoples they encountered.