Bad Airs, Agues and Fevers - John Eliot Howard FRS, quinine and the battle against malaria

Exhibition at Bruce Castle Museum16 July 2017 - 1 April 2018

A hands-on exhibition that charts the fascinating story of pioneering Tottenham chemist John Eliot Howard FRS (1807-1883), whose scientific discoveries were pivotal in the fight against malaria.

His interest in the Peruvian bark 'cinchona' and its medicinal derivative quinine for the treatment of malaria, began when he was only 20 years old. It developed into a lifelong study and scientific achievement.

Living in Lordsmeade House in Tottenham, he was made a partner in the family's pharmaceutical firm Howard and Sons in 1828 by his father Luke Howard FRS (1772-1864) - the emininent scientist and meteorologist. Quinine became the company's most successful product in the 1800s, and became used as a tool in 19th century colonial expansion.