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  • Textbook
  • © 1988

The Life of Charles Ledger (1818-1905)

Alpacas and Quinine

Authors:

  1. Gabriele Gramiccia
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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
    PDF

  2. The early years

    • Gabriele Gramiccia
    Pages 1-22

  3. The alpaca enterprise, not forgetting cinchonas

    • Gabriele Gramiccia
    Pages 23-68

  4. With the alpacas to New South Wales

    • Gabriele Gramiccia
    Pages 69-119

  5. Back to Peru — the miraculous seeds

    • Gabriele Gramiccia
    Pages 120-134

  6. A general trader again

    • Gabriele Gramiccia
    Pages 135-165

  7. After South America, the last years in Australia

    • Gabriele Gramiccia
    Pages 166-190

  8. Two epilogues

    • Gabriele Gramiccia
    Pages 191-198

  9. Bibliography

    • Gabriele Gramiccia
    Pages 199-208

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 209-222
    PDF
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About this book

This is the first comprehensive study of the life and works of Charles Ledger. Ledger's great contribution to the world was the identification and cultivation of the 'best' unhybridized cinchona seed, from which 90% of the world's quinine was eventually produced. But Charles Ledger didn't only 'give' the world quinine, he led an adventurous life: perhaps his greatest feat being an epic drive of alpacas. He travelled 2500 km from Peru and Bolivia through Argentina and across the Andes to Peru, and then sailed to New South Wales in an attempt to establish an alpaca wool industry there - the journey took 6 years. He died unrecognised by the scientific community and poor.
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Keywords

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Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Life of Charles Ledger (1818-1905)

  • Book Subtitle: Alpacas and Quinine

  • Authors: Gabriele Gramiccia

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-09949-8

  • Publisher: Red Globe Press London

  • eBook Packages: Medicine, Medicine (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Macmillan Publishers Limited 1988

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIV, 242

  • Additional Information: Previously published under the imprint Palgrave

  • Topics: History of Medicine

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