New-York tribune., 1885-03-08
SURGERY WITHOUT PAIN.
WONDERFUL SUCCESS or THE NEW ANEsTREric =
GREAT DEMAND FOR COCAINE.


GREAT DEMAND FOR COCAINE.
A prominent eye surgeon was removing the
bandagcs from the eye patont at the Post Graduate
school of Medicine Yesterday when TRIBUNE reporter
entered the room and asked Do you still use cocaine as
aDesthetici"
"weIl should say so In operations upon the eye
feel now that could get along without It, In gen.
era prace has driven ether and ehloroorm OUT o inc
field II Is not only wonderful discovery, but IL Is as
onishing how rapidly It has into lyor. Even the
most conservative my profession. wlo look Win ds
favor upon any thing new, Will acknowledge that tney
have, at least, heard Of it,
"What is cocanei"
at is the alkaoid OF the leaves Of shrub, originally
wild largely cultivated known as the eryhro1y
Ion c,ca It grows In South America principally IN Peru
ane Bolivia and looks much like the ordinary tea lear
Dr. A. Neimann of GOslar Germany gave IL It's presen
In 1860 But little was then known OF the proper
ties of the drug In experiments, 1t was iouhd that
dogs could be killed by 1t when given in large doses s
eject was to parayze the respiratory organs. Expcr
mcnts have been from time to time with 1t since
it has been looked upoa as OF nnch value as
therapeutic agent That it would produce local
ana a,thesa unknown until 1t was accidentaiy us
covered by young medical student named hoher' u"
Vienna, last September. Its merits have since
thoroughly tested and all the civilized world
think that it has tried In cases In this country
than IN any other, and believe that the palm Tor Dod
experiment. and demonstration OF It's an@stheuc
properties In many branches Of minor surgery should DC
arded America. There Is hardly Held IN whicn IL
has not been used with success Too much cahnot DC
said in its praise In surgical operations upoa inc
eve ear and nose Almost every conceivable operation
has been tried IN these parts with cocaine and in many
cases. first the patient kncw-so FAR as feeng Went
that any cutting had been done was when the wouho
was being bandased IL Is much easier TO tell where mas
not been used IL has been IL has brought
sleep to eyes that would cse, soothed angry wounds
50 that they we're painless stopped acute hemorrhages
and distressing asthmatic spasms, has aayed the rr
liability Of the lining OF the mouth 30 thae
ngoscopic examinations could be made without ais
tress aud food could be given In the last stages OF con-
sumption and has made the boring of the dental engine
almost pleasure and the pulling OF teeth painless ts
value incalculablc In gypecoiogy and genitourhary
surgery"
lis true reported that injurious effects have been
found TO folsw the Of cocaine in some cases. !"
$50 far As my experience goesand have treated hun
dreds OF eases which II has been freely yet
TO report the rst OF injurious consequences fhave
heard OF hysterca paralysis and number OF
cases OF nervous prostaton following its use do not
believe that these conditions the result OF the
cocaine but think they grew ont OF another circuh-
stance that appears In all tho operations In which IL Is
used II Is only local auesthcc; the senses remain
perfectly active and tn. operations OF the mind normal
Although pain Is felt when the knife or other n''r
enters patient h yet the glistenns knife ana
the ,urtng blood can seen and II the patient has not
strong nerves sight Of these things will awaken nor
ror I'm mind and rapidly exhaust the vital energy IL
is fAar more than that produces an III effect
There arc also special In which cocaine cannot be
used TO advantage Take for instance. person OF dell
cate nervous troubled with slnint or som
other eye difficulty where operation is necessary The
eve eould be anp-ihetiEei but not the mind, ana
the patient would become exceedingly troublesome and
wist and squrn from purely mental Impressions ana
render the surgeon liable inct injury that might
bo fatal the eye. IN OF this nature the OLD
auH .thetics nust he used -
Is cocalno made tn this country u -
last fall it was put up only ~ Merck; . Than
process American chemists a. soon as there was .
demand for IL, began to eNperim-n aud after
OF patient trial aud the destruction OF large
quantity OF leaves, have at last given US an
akaold rs good, aud many think better than Mercks
Imported preparation The prtco, tbsugh IL mas Deen
reduced somewhat, Is stlll exorbiiant anu has not
beyond the supply. II will take probably two years TO
hiring cocaine its proper position as cOnlnerrhi
article Tho demand for leaves has been SO great
that Tho market cleaned out o all those of good
grow 10 get their material The plants are raised IN
comparatively small section OF country but on account
OF tue prospects OF the fnture preparations are being
wsd. tn rai them extensive scale
How d.es cocaine compare with ether In price T.
1T Is difficult To make comparison. Quantity for
quantity. cocaine will overtop ether enormously In
actual use think cocaine the cheaper. While IL may
take six ounces OF ether 10 anesthezc person, the
same practical result an be attained with few dro
a solution contains ouly four per cent OF cocaine this
makes the actual cost
operaon about the same. and In time the advantage
will be largely the side OF cocaine. The future or
cocaine matter OF supposition Uut believe that It's
yet In the infancy OF deveionent ana u VIII
DO greater boon suffering humanity than We have
"A