Cocaine—from Drug to Local Anesthetic

The book chapter provides a comprehensive historical and scientific overview of the natural substance cocaine. After a brief description of the chemical properties of cocaine, the development from an initially legal drug to an important local anesthetic is traced. The text traces the history of cocaine from the first European description of the coca plant by Nicolas Bautista Monardes in the 16th century to the discovery and isolation of cocaine in the 19th. Special attention is given to Eduard Friedrich Poeppig, a significant researcher in the field of the coca plant. The isolation of cocaine by Albert Niemann in 1860 is highlighted as a turning point in the history of cocaine. This is followed by a discussion of the use of cocaine as a local anesthetic, starting with Sigmund Freud’s research and Carl Koller’s discovery of its anesthetic effect on the eye in 1884. The chapter also illuminates the social and medical impacts of cocaine, from its popularity in beverages like Coca-Cola to its role in surgery and ophthalmology. The efforts to develop safer local anesthetics without the euphoric properties of cocaine are described. The discovery of benzocaine by Eduard Ritsert and the subsequent development of other local anesthetics such as procaine are highlighted. Overall, the chapter offers a detailed and fascinating history of cocaine, encompassing both the scientific development and the social and cultural impacts of the substance.