The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-25


three seconds, recovering their breath,
they wiped the sweat from their brows,
and apparently quite refreshed descended
TO the mine again at a quick pace. TINS
appears TO me a wonderful instance OF the
amount of labor which habit, for 1t can
be nothing else, will enable man to en-
dure."
There is little doubt that Prof. Darwin
was mistaken in his assumption that all
this stupendous labor was the result of
habit. In the light of latter days revela-
tons we know that the South American
miners and laborers of all kinds We're slim
ula ted in their efforts by the constant
chewing of cocoa leaves.
Probably the first scientific determina-
ton of the chemical constitution of coca
leaves. and this may be said TO mark the
entrance of cocaine to the authoritative
realm of the pharmaceopoeia, was in 1858,
when Wackenroder demonstrated the exis-
tence of fannie acid in them; and in 1859
M Sanislaus Martin found in cocoa leaves
a peculiar bitter principle, resin, tannin,
an aromatic principle, eXtracuve, chloro-
hpyll, a substance analogous to theme and
salts of lime Previous to this in 1855,
Gardeke had Isolated the crystalline aka
Ioid and given il the name of erythrox-
lyme. DIR. Albert Niemann, of Goslar,
| made the first thorough investigation of
the leaves, and gave to the alkaloid the
name IL now usually bears of cocaine.
AS regards the medical properties of CO.
caine the United States dispensatory is au-
thority for the statement that the stimu
| liant effect of coca has led to its extensive
use in melancholia, neurasthenia, hysteria
| and allied disorders. The results obtained,
however, have not been what were expect
ed. Almost all clinlcians agree that in mel
ancholia no good whatever is achieved, and
| that in eurasthenia-tlat is nervous de-
bility, you know-and hysteria the drug
| unless given in small doses, acts deleter-
| iousy, although in some cases the fluid
extract of coca or a coca wine seems to be
I of service for a time in stimulating the
digestion, and 10 some slight extent, the
general nervous system. Locally applied"
| says the Dspensatory, cocaine is a very
distinct and certain anaesthetc, acting,
according to the observation of Won Anrep,
| upon the nerves of special sense as we'll
as upon those of common sensibihty. Co
| caine Denetrates mucous membranes read
| lily, but is not able to pass through the
| skin, and when given hypodemrically so
rapidly diffuses itself that its local anaes-
| thetic influence is very fugacious unless
| the circulation in the part be controlsed
| by mechanical means. Injected so as to
| come Immediately in contact with the
| large nerve trunk, il is capable of produc-
4 q
distribution of the nerve. When applied in
| concentrated solution to the mucous mem
| branes, Ii produces at once a marked pal
! lor. which is probably due 10 a powerful
| construction of the blood vessels caused by
| direct action upon their muscle hbres.
| In practical medicine cocaine is used for
ats local effects in benumbing sensibihty
and relieving pain in all mucous tracts
that can be reached by the surgeon
| II {c vary ,yaI,a l,Ia ,n,,,o7x- e., l,.rr -
and painful ulcers, and is successfully APP
| piled in local intlammations of the mu-
| cous membranes by subduing nervous irri-
| liability. 1t is often advantageously APP
| piled locally in hay fever, in bronchitis
| and in the irritated sore throat of ad-
vanced consumption II is invaluable to
| the dentist in rendering the gums dead
to pain, ard has proved a great boon to
| the operating ocuiist Its great danger
lies in its habitual use as a stimulant
which leads to the formation of the CO.
caine habit and all its attending evils.
These evils cannot be more strongly re-
vealed than in the experience of an Aus
tralian physician who was referred to IN
our first chat on this subject. He has Civ
en- the world of medicine the benefit of a
narration of what he underwent after he
had become addicted 10 the almost con-
slant use of the drug. In the course of
ttlal COHlSSSlOil, winch ne utu not neSt-
tate to make public, he said in describing
his sensations: THE first feeling a CO.
cainst has is an indescribable excite
ment TO do something great TO leave a
mark. But, alas. this disappears as rap
idly as 1t came, and soon every pare Of
the body seems to cry out for a new sy-
ringe. The second sensational first, at
least, no halucinauon-is that his hearing
is enormously increased, so that he hears
the flies walking over the paper Very
soon every sound begins to be a remark
about himself, mostly of a nasty kind,
and he begins to carry on a solitary life,
his only companion being his beloved sy-
ringe. Every passerby seems to talk
about him. Often and often have 1 stop
ped persons, or ordered the police to ar
lcst them, thinking they were talking
about me. After relatively short time
begins the hunting of che cocaine bug
You imagine tHat in your skin worms or
similar things are moving along. II YOU
touch them with wool especially absorb
ent wooD they run away and disappear.
only TO peep cautiously out of some corner
to see ii there is any danger. These
worms are projected only to the cocain-
ists NV son or '.othiug He sees
them on his washing, In his kin, creeping
l along his penholder, but not on other peo-