1890 Coca and its Therapeutic Application by Angelo Mariani

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"NEW REMEDIES."

Thus concludes this interesting article by Dr. Henry Schweig: "When,two years ago,attention was called by Koller to the anaesthetizing power of a solution of Cocaine when ap plied to mucous surfaces,fresh interest was created in the plant from which the alkaloid is derived. I do not desire to encroach on my limited space by detailing the various experiences of observers who,from time to time,studied the effects of the administration of Coca leaves or their extract. Sujffice it to say that,while some authors extol the virtues of the plant, others fail to find anything in its action which would justify them in according it a place among our remedial agents. "Here, again, the same objection already mentioned— viz., the improper preparation of the substance employed, as well as an inferior quality of the crude drug (the leaves in this case)—serves as an explanation of the difference in results obtained. "In a series of experiments conducted by me(in private as well as dispensary practice),looking to a clearer under standing of the value of Coca in laryngeal complications, (1)I have arrived at conclusions which justify me in saying that not alone is Coca a valuable addition to our therapeutic armamentarium,buta drug which can be almost absolutely relied upon to exert its specific action in certain disorders of the upper respiratory tract. "In that distressing condition in which the tensors of the vocal band are atfault, when there is phonatory leakage and an impairment of ability to produce the higher tones. Coca can be relied upon to give prompt relief, if not per- (i)My attention was first called to Coca as applied to laryngeal diseases by the late Dr. Louis Elsberg, as well as by the writings of Charles Fauvel and Morell Mackenzie.

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