40 ERYTHROXYLON COCA 



liquors, tobacco, opium, and Indian hemp. An habitual chewer 

 is termed a coquero, and is said to be at once known " by his 

 haggard look, gloomy and solitary habit, listless inability, and 

 disinclination for any active employment." Weddell says its 

 habitual use acts on Europeans more prejudicially than on the 

 Indians accustomed to it from their early years ; and that in some 

 cases it causes a peculiar aberration of intellect, characterised 

 by hallucinations. Von Tschudi and Poeppig also state that 

 the result of intemperance in its use is frequently confirmed 

 idiocy. More recently Dr. Mantegazza., of Berlin, who formerly 

 practised in South America, from numerous experiments drew 

 the following conclusions : The leaves chewed or taken in weak 

 infusion have a stimulating effect on the nerves of the stomach, 

 and thus greatly assist digestion. In a medium dose of three or 

 four drachms, coca excites the nervous system in such a manner 

 that muscular exertion is made with great ease ; then it pro- 

 duces a calming effect. In a large dose it increases the animal 

 heat and augments the frequency of the pulse, and consequently 

 of respiration. Used in excessive doses it causes delirium, hallu- 

 cinations, and, finally, congestion of the brain. He recommends 

 its use as an antispasmodic ; for colic, flatulence, diarrhoea, and 

 impaired digestion ; in dyspeptic and all spasmodic affections ; as 

 a tonic in debility and nervous prostration ; in hysteria and melan- 

 cholia ; as a safe aphrodisiac in seminal debility ; and in other affec- 

 tions. Many other practitioners have also spoken in eulogistic 

 terms of its value as a remedial agent in a variety of diseases ; and 

 the sulphate of cocaine has even been recommended as a substitute 

 for sulphate of quinia in intermittent fevers. Dr. Buzzard, how- 

 ever, who tried it extensively in epilepsy and other forms of 

 nervous diseases some years ago, obtained no striking effects from 

 its use. 



More recently the address of Sir Eobert Christison to the 

 Koyal Botanical Society of Edinburgh has been especially the 

 means of drawing attention to the alleged properties of coca. 

 From experiments made by Christison on himself, and also from 

 those made by several students at his request by chewing coca 



