COCA 93 



conversant with the repute of coca and much interested 

 in the subject, determined to establish its position un- 

 questionably, by personal experimentation in a scien- 

 tific way. With this object, he made a careful study of 

 its record and reputed action. He took pains to credit 

 by reference those who had previously made reports, 

 describing in detail the processes of the native coca 

 users, and including the experiments of Dr. Alexander 

 Bennett, 1873, (55b), in which the physiological action 

 of cocaine on frogs, mice and rabbits gave no thera- 

 peutic promise of individual characteristics, other than 

 the suggestion that it paralleled caffeine, theine and 

 theobromine, Bennett's summary being as follows: 



"When we compare this cocaine with theine, caffeine 

 and guarana, we find that if it is not identical with these 

 substances, it is intimately related to them in chemical 

 composition." 



The investigator had not enough cocaine to give com- 

 pletely its action on temperature and the glandular 

 secretions, but adds that, as compared with caffeine, 

 theine and so forth, "in every other respect cocaine had 

 similar action," thus giving it no quality of its own. 

 (55b). 



Having reviewed the literature on coca, (including 

 Bennett's physiological failures with cocaine), Dowdes- 

 well next obtained specimens of the drug, of unques- 

 tioned quality. He then interested in his work such 

 authorities as Professor Ringer, who furnished instru- 

 ments of "perfectly accurate result," and the conspicu- 

 ous Professor Murrell, of University College. The 

 preparations employed were made by the well-known 

 English chemist, Garrard, to whom Dowdeswell refers 

 as follows: 



