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Jainism
Religion of India established in the 6th cent. BC by Vardhamana, who was called Mahavira. Jainism's core belief is ahimsa, or noninjury to all living things. It was founded as a reaction against the Vedic religion, which required animal sacrifices. Jainism has no belief in a creator god, though there are a number of lesser deities for various aspects of life. Jains believe their religion is eternal and hold that it was revealed in stages by a number of Conquerors, of whom Mahavira was the 24th. Living as an ascetic, Mahavira preached the need for rigorous penance and self-denial as the means of perfecting human nature, escaping the cycle of rebirth, and attaining moksha, or liberation. Jains view karma as an invisible material substance that interferes with liberation and can only be dissolved through asceticism. By the end of the 1st cent. AD the Jains had split into two sects, each of which later developed its own canon of sacred writings: the Digambaras, who held that an adherent should own nothing, not even clothes, and that women must be reborn as men before they can attain moksha; and the more moderate Svetambaras. In keeping with their principle of reverence for life, Jains are known for their charitable works, incl. building shelters for animals. Jainism preaches universal tolerance and does not seek to make converts.


quinine
Alkaloid found in the bark of cinchona trees and shrubs. The chemical structure of this heterocyclic compound is large and complex, with several rings. For the 300 years preceding the 1940s, when newer antimalarials were developed, quinine was the only drug known to Western medicine for the prevention and treatment of malaria. The first chemical compound ever used successfully against an infectious disease, it has benefited more people than any other such drug in history. Quinine is also occasionally used to treat pain and fever and is a flavoring agent in some carbonated beverages, incl. tonic water.

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