PS268 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Crack Cocaine, Pseudoephedrine, Veterinary Medicine
Document Summary
Leaves of the coca (erythoxyion coca) contain trace amounts of cocaine (less than 1% by weight) Countries in andean mountains where coca plants grow (bolivia, Colombia, peru) coca leaves are chewed to provide little stimulation to help labourers get through long work days. 1859 germany albert alfred niemann purifies cocaine from coca leaves. Once purified there was $ to be made so cocaine was added to anything it would dissolve in. Angelo mariani added cocaine to wine + in 1863 began selling his new product 4 years after 1st purification: so important, pope awarded it his gold medal". Later realized it was replaced by cocaine addition (which is worse) 1887 freud published another paper retracting his earlier praises of cocaine: also discovered cocaine was useful as a tropical anaesthetic. Today it is still used as a tropical anaesthetic in a variety of orofacial procedures.
