Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-14
SURGERY WITHOUT PAIN.
Wonderful Success OF the New Anes.
tnettc-A Great Demand for Cocaine.

"A PIohiueut eye surgeon was removing the
oandaSes from the eye of a patient at the Post
6raouate school Of Medicine yesterday when a
Tribune reporter entered the room and asked:
DO you still use cocaine as an anRsthetic?"
wen, should say so, in operations upon the
eye feel now that could not get along with.
out it. In general practice IL has driven ether
and chioroform out of the field. 1t is not only
wonderful discovery, but it is astonishing
how rapidly Ii has risen into favor Even the
with d'sfavor upon anything new, will acknowl-
edge that they have, at Least, heard Oft
"What is eocaine?'
ut Is the alkaloid Of the leaves Of a shrub
originally Wild, but now largely cultivated,
known as the erythroryion coca 1t grows in
South America principally in Peru and Bolivia.
and looks much like the ordinary tea leaf. Dr.
a: hermann, of GOslar, Germany, gave 1t its
known OF the proper ties of the drug. In SOME
experiments 1t was found that dogs could be
R Sitee ny II when given in large doses. Its
erect was to paralyze the respiratory organs.
Experiments have been made from time to
time with 1t since, but it has never been looked
upon as OF much value as therapeutic agent
That 1t would produce local anesthesia was un.
known until 1t was accidentally discovered by
young medical student, named Roller, ut
vienna last september. Its merits have since
been thoroughly tested and discussed all over
the civilized ", world. l think that it has been
other, and l believe that the palm for bold
experimentation and demonstration of
Its an@sthetic properties in many branches
OF minor surgery should be awarded to
America. There is hardly field in which It
has not been used with success. Too much can
not be said in its praise in surgical operations
upon the eye. ear and nose. Almost every con-
ce1vable operation has been tried in these parts
with cocaine, and in many cases the first the
patlent kneW-so far as feeling went-that any
cutting had been DONE was when the wound
was being bandaged. 1t is much easier to tell
where 1t has not been used than where it has
been. 1t has brought sleep to eyes that would
not close, sOOthed angry wounds so that they
were painless, stopped acute hemorrhages and
Distressing asthmatic spasms, has allayed the
lrrltaDlllty OF the mucous lining of the mouth,
SO that laryngoscOpic examinations could be
MADE without distress. and food could be given
IN M the last stages of consumption, and has made
the boring of the dental engine almost pleas
ure, ana the pulling of teeth painless. Its value
Is incalculable in gynacology and genito-urin-
as ii true, as reported, that injurious effects
some caSeS?"
$50 far as nv experience roeS-and 7 have
Lreated hundreds OF cases in which it has been
freely used-1 have yet to report the first case of
injurious consequences. l have heard of one
case OF hysterical paralysis and number of
leases OF nervous prostration following its use.
do not believe that these conditions were the
result OF the cocaine, but think they grew out
Oh anOther circumstance that appears in all the
operations In which it is used. Il is only a local
anesthetlc the senses remain perfectly active,
ana the operations of the mind normal. AL
though no pain is felt when-the knife or other
lnstrument enters the patients flesh. vet the
eiistenihg knife and the squirting blood can be
seen, and If the patient has not strong nerves
the sight of these things will awaken horror In
the mind and rapidly exhaust the vital energy.
II IS fear more than cocaine that produces an Ill
eueet. mere are also special cases in which
cocaine cannot be used to advantage. Take, for
instance, person of delicate nervous organiza-
difficulty wheie an operation is necessary. The
eye could be anasthetized but not the mind,
and the patient would become exceedingly
troublesome, and twist and squirm from purely
mental impressions, and render the surgeon
liable to lnf1ict an injury that might be fatal to
the eye. In cases of this nature the old an@s-
thetics must be used.''
us cocaine made in this country?"
1es, IL Is made by number of firms. When
nrSt used last fall 1T was put up only by Merck,
aGerman chemist, was very scarce. and worth
more than its weight in gold. 1t was made by
secret process. American chemists as soon
as there was demand for it, however, began
to experiment, and after months of patient
trial and the destruction of large quantity of
coca leaves; have at last given US an allaloid
imported preparation. The price, though II
has been reduced somewhat, is still exorbitant
and has not reached a normal basis. The
demand has increased beyond the supply. 1t
Will take probably two years to bring coacaine
to It's proper position as commercial article.
The demand for coca leaves has been so
great that the market has been cleaned out of
all OF those of good quality, and chemists will
have to wait until the plants grow to get their
lively small section of country, but on account
of the prospects of the future, preparations are
Delng mace " raise them on an extensive
Scale.''
How does cocaine compare with ether in
price,"
SIT is difficult to make comparison. Guam
tity for quantity, cocaine will overtop ether
enormously: In actual use think cocaine the
cheaper. While 1t may take six ounces of
ether to ansesthetize person. the same practi-
cal result can be attained with few drops of a
solution that contains only four per cent OF
cocaine, this difference In quantity makes the
actual cost for given operation about the same.
and in time the advantage will be largely on
the side OF cocaine. The future of cocaine is a
matter of supposition, but believe that its uses
are yet In the infancy of development, and it
Will be a greater boon to suffering humanity
than we have any idea OF at present.