S36 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[May i, 1885. 



"hewed, as the natives do, or given in weak infusion, 

 it promotes digestion. In larger doses it stimulates the 

 nervous system, so that muscular exertion is easily 

 undertaken. Mantegazzo recommends its use in a variety 

 of diseases. Iu 1876 Sir R. Christison, the veteran 

 therapeutist, made some experiment with Coca on himself 

 and students attending his class. From these he arrived 

 at the conclusion that " the chewing of Coca removes j 

 extreme fatigue and prevents it. Hunger and thirst are 

 suspended ; but eventually appetite and digestion are 

 unaffected. No injury whatever is sustained at the time 

 or subsequently in occasional trials ; but I can say nothing 

 of what may or may not happen if it be used habitually. 

 From 60 to 90 grains are sufficient for one trial ; but 

 some persons either require, more, or are constitutionally 

 proof against its restorative action. It has no effect on 

 the mental faculties so far as my own observations go, ! 

 except liberating them from the dullness and drowsiness 

 which follow great bodily fatigue. I do not yet know 

 its effect 011 mental fatigue purely. As to the several j 

 functions it reduces the effect of severe protracted ! 

 exercise iu accelerating the pulse. It increases the saliva, ; 

 which, however, may be no more than the effect of j 

 mastication. It does not diminish the perspiration so 

 far as I can judge." About the same time that these I 

 results were obtained by the scientific observer in Edinburgh, 

 a Mr. Dowdeswell, who had been experimenting with 

 Coca in London, declared that the results of his investig- 

 ations were negative. He says: — " Without asserting that 

 it is positively inert, it it is concluded from these ' 

 experiments that its actions is so slight as to preclude j 

 the idea of its having auy value, either therapeutically J 

 or popularly." This testimony, being so utterly opposed 

 to the experience of other competent observers, and to 

 the fact that Coca has been chewed from time im- 

 memorial, and is still used by millions of people in its 

 native country, can only be explained by the supposition 

 that Mr. Dowdeswell did not get the genuine article, or 

 it may have been old and inert. Quite recently a well- 

 known London firm sent me a sample of what they 

 called Coca, in order that I might become familiar with 

 the commercial aspect of the drug as now sold at home ; 

 but, ou examination, I fnuud that it did not contain 

 one leaf of Erythroxylpn Coca! As already stated, Coca 

 is a very r perishable article, a fact which is sufficient to 

 explain much of the contradictory evidence iu existence 

 regarding its refreshing and sustaining effect. A few 

 years ago a number of men connected with the Toronto 

 Lacrosse Club in Canada, resolved to try the sustaining 

 effect of Coca in this game which involves violent bodily 

 exertion. At the beginning of every match a dose, 

 ranging from 1 to U drs. of the leaves, was served out 

 to each man, which was chewed gradually during the 

 game. The trial extended over nearly a year and-a-half, 

 ami the majority of the experiment.*! s were "strongly 

 iu favour of Coca — some most enthusiastically so — while 

 two or three out of the number remained indifferent, 

 having derived no direct or apparent advantage from its 

 use (Pharmaceutical Journal, ■p. 222, vol. 8, 1S77) This 

 is only what might be expected, us tea, coffee and to- 

 bacco produce, owing to idiosyncrasy or difference in 

 sensitiveness; very different effects loth in quality and 

 degree in different individuals. Quite recently Dr. j 

 OaudweU of Westminster Hospital, London, has been 

 trying on himself the effects of large doses of oca. He 

 first used the alkaloid (a fluid extract equivale; t to its [ 

 weight of the leaves), and increased the doses gradually 

 liuin 2 drs. to 2 oz. The latter dose produced giddiness 

 and unsteadiness of gait for about ten minutes-, and then 

 a general sensation of comfort with considerable mental 

 excitement, and ability to read steadily for many hours, 

 and to keep awake all night. He next tried the alkaloid 

 Cocaine, increasing the amount from half a grain to 5 

 grains. The latter dose caused toxic symptoms, and 

 produced dilatation of the pupils, which lasted for six 

 hours (Pharmaceutical Journal, No. 762, third series, p. 

 613). So far as we know at present, Coca exerts a double ! 

 action, b-icg a cerebral sedative in small doses and a ' 

 cerebral stimulant in large. But it is unnecessary to 

 I ursue this aspect of the subject further. The fact that 

 40000,000 lb. of Coca are consumed aunually by the 

 inhabitants of South America, is itself suggestive and 



conclusive, and when to this are added the results of 

 independent investigations and our recent knowledge of 

 the alkaloid Cocaine, we can have no hesitation in 

 accepting Coca as an article quite as useful to humanity 

 as either tea or coffee, and destined, as far as present 

 appearances go, to become infinitely more so. 



THE ALKALOID COCA. 



The existence of an alkaloid iu the leaves of the Coca 

 plant was suggested as early as 1853, by Wackenroder 

 and Johnston, and in 1855 Dr. E. Gaedeke, a German, 

 succeeded in isolating it, but not being able to satisfy 

 himself as to its identity with Theine, the alkaloid of 

 tea, he provisionally named it " Erythroxyline." But it 

 was not till 1860 that the physical characters of the 

 alkaloid were fully ascertained, and the honour of their 

 description belong to Nieman, who called the substance 

 "Cocaine." Somewhat later Losseu found in the leaves 

 another base, which he termed "Hygrin," and which is 

 volatile and apparently inert. The other chief constituents 

 of Coca are Ergonin, Oocatanein and a peculiar wa.r. 

 Cocaine crystallises in small colourless and inodorous 

 prisms, which are slightly soluble in water, more so in 

 alcohol, and very soluble in ether. It has a strong 

 alkaline re-action, a slightly bitter taste, and produces 

 upon the tongue a temporary but almost complete in- 

 sensibility at the point of contact (Pharmaceutical Journal, 

 No. 753, New Series, p. 421). An attempt has been 

 made to chauge the designation of the alkaloid to Cucaine, 

 but as that would be at variance with the botanical 

 specific name, the alteration seems undesirable. The 

 chemical formula for Cocaine is C-l-7, H-2-1, No. 4, so 

 that it is very nearly allied in its composition to 

 Atropine and Daturine. The most useful salts of Cocaine 

 are the hydrochlorate, the citrate, and salicylate. At 

 present the hydrochlorate is the favourite preparation. 

 It is defined as a white crystalline powder of weakly 

 acid re-action, with a somewhat hitter taste, and producing 

 on the tongue a temporary characteiistic insensibility. 

 When heated upon platinum foil it should leave no 

 residue, and it ought to dissolve in double its weight of 

 cold water, and not become coluured in contact with 

 mineral acids. It also dissolves easily iu alcohol. Although 

 the local amesthetic properties of Cocaine were recognised 

 so long ago as 1860, curious to say no practical use was, 

 until quite recently, made of the discovery. This is all 

 the moie remarkable, inasmuch as Dr. Hughes Bennett, 

 iu 1874, found, in investigating the action of Cocaine 

 on frogs and other animals, that it "exerted its influence on 

 the sensory nerves, and that the nerve-endings in the 

 skin and the mucous membranes were rendered inexcitable, 

 apart from any action or influence on the nervous centres." 

 The credit of the practical application of the an.-esthetic 

 properties of Cocaine belongs to Dr. Kollar, a young 

 physician of Vienna. He suggested, in the course of 

 last year, its application to the eye for producing tem- 

 porary insensibility during operations on that most sensitive 

 organ, and the momentous value of the discovery was 

 at once recognized all over Europe and America. In fact 

 ever since Cocaine has received an amount of attention 

 which shows the high rank it is likely to attain as a 

 therapeutical agent. Professor Knapp, who was one of 

 the first to carry out experiments as to the effects of 

 Cocaine on the eye, found that when a 4 per cent 

 solution is applied, the pupil begins to dilate in from 

 ten to twenty minutes, attainsitsmaximum in from thirty to 

 forty-five minutes, remains stationary for about half an 

 hour, and then slowly diminishes. The reduction of 

 sensibility begins in about three minutesafter the applicatiou 

 of the solution, increases from ten to twenty minutes, 

 and is over in about half an hour. When applied in 

 appropriate quantity to the eye, it completely obliterates 

 sensation for the time being, and renders it absolutely 

 insensible to pain, and it neither causes irritation, 

 induces injurious re-action nor interferes with the vitality 

 of the tissues. But it is not only in diseases of the 

 eye that Cocaine is useful, as it acts equally on the 

 mucous membrane of the mouth, pharjnx,larynx,nose,traehea, 

 be. It also acts quickly through wounds or abraded 

 surfaces, but is slowly absorbed by the skin. When 

 injected hypodermically it acts efficiently as a nervine, 

 in doses of half a grain. The dose internally of Cocaine 



