Answer:
The introduction of quinine, a medicine used to treat malaria, had a significant impact on colonial policy in Africa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as it allowed European powers to expand their colonial territories and exert greater control over the native populations.
Malaria was a major obstacle for European colonizers in Africa, as it was a major cause of illness and death among Europeans who were not naturally immune to the disease. Quinine, which was derived from the bark of the cinchona tree and had been used for centuries by indigenous peoples in South America to treat fevers, was found to be an effective treatment for malaria.
With the discovery of quinine, European colonizers were able to more easily establish and maintain control over their colonies in Africa, as they were no longer as susceptible to malaria. This allowed them to expand their territories and exert greater control over the native populations, often through force and coercion.
In Chinua Achebe's novel "Things Fall Apart," the introduction of quinine is briefly mentioned as part of the broader context of European colonization and the impact it had on traditional African societies. The protagonist, Okonkwo, sees the arrival of the Europeans and the introduction of new technologies and medicines like quinine as a threat to the traditional way of life he knows and values.