THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
DECEMBER,  1884. 
THE  PREPARATION  AND  THERAPEUTICS  OF 
HYDROCHLORATE  OF  COCAINE. 
By  L.  E.  Sayre,  Ph.G. 
Recent  developments  connected  with  this  comparatively  new  salt 
have  excited  much  interest  in  the  medical  profession.  Its  peculiar 
property — one  for  many  years  sought  after,  yet  until  recently  almost 
unknown — has  been  at  length  found  to  exist  in  this  alkaloid  obtained 
from  Erythroxylon  Coca,  namely,  that  of  producing  local  anaesthesia. 
By  its  use  the  surgeon  can,  without  pain  or  discomfort  to  the  patient, 
perform  an  operation  which  must  otherwise  cause  great  agony.  It  is 
said,  however,  that,  while  there  is  produced  an  insensibility  to  suffer- 
ing, the  sensibility  to  touch,  in  the  same  part,  still  remains. 
That  such  a  property  should  be  discovered  in  a  substance  so  appar- 
ently innocent,  seems  truly  worthy  to  be  considered  a  triumph  in  the 
chemistry  and  therapy  of  the  present  day. 
The  formula  for  its  preparation,  as  given  to  me  by  Mr.  M.  Eisner, 
which  is  substantially  that  of  Niemann  (see  "  Amer.  Jour.  Phar.," 
1861,  p.  123),  is  as  follows:  Displace  coca  leaves  with  dilute  alcohol 
and  a  small  quantity  of  sulphuric  acid.  Add  calcium  hydrate  to  the 
percolate,  neutralize  with  sulphuric  acid,  distill  off  the  alcohol.  Dis- 
solve the  residue  in  water,  and  filter;  add  soda  bicarbonate  to  the  filtered 
liquid,  and  wash  with  ether,  adding  a  small  quantity  of  muriatic  acid. 
The  ethereal  solution  will  deposit  the  hydrochlorate  of  cocaine  in  an 
amorphous  mass,  gradually  crystallizing.  Purify  by  dissolving  in 
water,  precipitating  with  soda  bicarbonate  and  washing  with  ether, 
and  leave  it  to  crystallize  out  of  the  ethereal  solution. 
Local  narcotization  was  practiced  long  ago,  of  which  a  number  of 
instances  might  be  cited,  but  the  scope  of  this  article  will  admit  of 
only  a  few. 
Bouisson  used  a  plaster  of  opium  to  the  toe  of  a  patient  for  some 
time,  and  afterwards  succeeded  in  partially  tearing  away  the  nail  with- 
out causing  pain.    He  used  belladonna  ointments  to  relieve  the  pain 
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