Edward Stone (natural philosopher) piece of bark from a willow tree and was struck by its extremely bitter taste. Knowing that the bark of the Peruvian cinchona tree − from which quinine (used in the treatment of malarial fevers) is derived − has a similarly bitter taste, he surmised that the willow might also have therapeutic properties. Stone's interest in willows was due to the ancient "doctrine of signatures" – whereby the cause of a disease offers a clue to its treatment. According to Stone: "As this tree delights in a moist or wet soil, where agues chiefly abound, the general maxim that many
Bark pocket indicator of air pollutants during which the time they formed. They can be used to monitor heavy metals such as lead and copper, as dust or other matter deposited on the bark at the time of formation is still present. One study analysed the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in bark pockets as a historical record of air quality, possible due to the interaction between PAHs and lipids in the bark. Bark pocket Bark pockets can be formed by inosculation, formation of a tree fork, encapsulation of a branch, joining together of an uneven trunk, or encapsulation of