1890 Coca and its Therapeutic Application by Angelo Mariani

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the mines,they all die. Hardly any but the natives are able to endure this labor,and then it is necessary to re- _ lieve them frequently and that they should chew Coca, without which the quicksilver vapors would kill them." Linnaeus says that Coca possesses: "the penetratingf aroma of vegetable stimulants,the astricting and fortifying virtues of an astringent, the antispasmodic qualities of bitters, and the mucilaginous nutritive properties of ana- leptics or of alimentary plants. This leaf," he continues, "exhibits with energy its action on all parts of the an imal economy: Olido in ncrvos, sapido in fibras utroque in fluidoP Father don Antonio Julian wrote: "This plant is a preventive against many diseases, a restorative of lost strength, and is capable of prolonging human life. It is sincerely to be regretted that so many poor families do not possess this preventive of hunger and thirst; that so many employees and laborers should be deprived of this means of maintaining their strength in the midst of continuous toil; that so many old and young men engaged in the arduous task of study and the accomplishment of their undertakings are unable to derive the beneficial results of this plant to guard against the exhaustion of the vital spirits, debility of the brain, and weakness of the stom ach, which are frequent results of continuous study." Bderhaave{Inst.phys.§68),statesthat;"the salivacharged with all the bitter and mucilaginous principles of Coca car ries to the stomach, in addition to vital strength, a ver itable nutritive which, digested and converted into an abundant and nutritious chyle, enters into the circulation and is converted into the material necessary to sustain the human economy." We shall not stop to quote the different writings of observers who have interested themselves in Coca. It may be inferred from the preceding statements that Coca possesses this particular character, viz., of enabling those