The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1885-10-15
Coca What Is C0caineY

n: The d, scovery that Cocaine will pro:
Iduce local anesthesia, or insensibility
to pain, Ills next in Importance to the
discovery OF the property of ether. Cos
cate has st late been used III impor-
tant operations upon, the eye; this, and
esrec,ally is recent emp oyment ia al
lay pa'1fsin he terrible disease under
wfisc 1.-THE Sillustr:ous patient General
Grant, suffered so long; has given it
unusual, prom; nence. To meet, the
popular desire to know some. hing Of
this agent, we give an account5of the
plant from which Cocaine is derived,
The earliest European travellers in
Peru mention tho use, by the natives
Of leaf, which they :eheWed TO pro.
.duee a stimulating effect, similar to
that Of opium. The leaves. known as
Coca, are from a shrub which bears
the same. native name, and Is sculti-t
waited in Huanuco. and other noun
ia n Jus provinces in II the Peruvian
Andes, which have an altitude of two
to five thousand feet above theIsea.
The shrub reaches the height Of six or
eight feet has very q thick, ever
green leaves. Tho name of the genus
IS ..Erythroxylon," which means red
wood; Sc eral of the spec 'es, natives
of tropical countries. having wood Of
red color. The specific name of the.
Peruvian spec 'es Is that given to it by
the natives, hence itsss scientific nameis
t"Erythroxylen coca In its relation
ship the shrub is nearest to! the tlax
and geranium families The shrub is
cult .Yated in a rudelmannertby the na-E
tives. who raise the Young plants from
the seeds, to form plantations known as
"Cocals." In from. three to five years
from plant 'ng, the shrub affords
gathering of leaves. and after that q
picking is made annually. The leaves
are mature when they break on being
bent. They are dr., ed on platforms. or.
on portion of ground made smooth
by stamping. The leaves when dry
are packed in bales of about g ghty
pounds, which are co;ered by q coarse
cloth made by the natives In this
form, tits an important article OF do
mestic traffic in Peru, and recently it
has been, sent TO this country and to
Europe in considerable quantities.
The Wholesale value Of the leaves is;
from one dollar, to one dollar and a
half per pound, In Peru, the use Of
: Coca is very general, especially among
the natives. The leaves, mixed with
lime. are chewed and the salivafswal-.
lowed, the individual remaining; quiet
the while. AS the en-. oyment of the
Coca occurs four mes each day, and
each time requires at least half an
hour, IL causes no tile interruption to
work and Ito travel The effects Of
Coca ale said to be most pleasurablY
Intoxicating, and those who become ad ::
5dicted toits use rartly abandon it. It
is Gained that by t e use of Coca the
Peruyians can perform great amount
of labor in the mines, and as porters in
carr ing loads, upon very little food.
The active principle, Cocaine (not
t.Cocoaine, ''sas sometimes incorrectly
.written) has been separated. The
process is expensive and the product.
small, hence the price has been very
high, the salts Of Cocaine having been
sold at ever a dollar a grain. In view
of the probable incr> ased demand for
Coca, il would be proper for our de-
partment Of ayr culture to consider the
possibility Of successfully cultivating
the shrub within our own terr. tory: 4 4