| Most people know that Sigmund Freud was the | | | | themselves. Noticing that cocaine numbed his lips |
| father of modern psychoanalysis, but did you | | | | when he drank it, Koller wanted to see what |
| know that he was also the foster father of Coca | | | | would happen when he put a coke solution into his |
| Cola? There is no good evidence that | | | | patients' eyes before surgery. He showed that |
| psychoanalysis can cure serious mood or thought | | | | cocaine could be instilled in the eye to block pain |
| disorders such as severe depression or | | | | during eye surgery. But, at that time, Freud was |
| schizophrenia. Modern psychiatry depends on the | | | | out of town visiting Martha. When he returned, he |
| use of medications to change brain levels of | | | | became distraught when he learned that Koller |
| neurotransmitters and psychotherapy together | | | | had published his new discovery, and now Koller |
| with medication is more effective than just | | | | was known as the discoverer of the first local |
| medication alone. The only scientific paper that | | | | anaesthetic for eye surgery. Freud had had his |
| Sigmund Freud ever wrote was not about | | | | great discovery stolen by another doctor.At that |
| psychotherapy. It was about cocaine.In 1881, | | | | time in the US, John Styth Pemberton brought |
| Sigmund Freud started experimenting with | | | | out his own version of a drink containing cocaine |
| cocaine. His first and only rigorous scientific paper | | | | in alcohol. People bought his drink and loved what |
| was on cocaine, not psychoanalysis. The German | | | | it did to them, but in 1885, the city of Atlanta |
| army used cocaine to stave off exhaustion, and | | | | banned the sale of alcohol. So Pemberton had to |
| Freud thought it might help out a few of his | | | | change the recipe. He removed alcohol from his |
| patients suffering nervous disorders. He sent | | | | drink, and sold his new drink under the name |
| some cocaine to his fiancee, Martha Bernays, who | | | | Coca-Cola. People did not buy this new concoction |
| lived some miles away, saying "In my last serious | | | | as much as they had bought his drink containing |
| depression I took cocaine again and a small dose | | | | cocaine in alcohol, so he thought that his drink had |
| lifted me to the heights in a wonderful fashion. I | | | | failed and he sold his patent to Asa Griggs Candler |
| am just now collecting the literature for a song of | | | | for a paltry $2,300. However, that was a quite lot |
| praise to this magical substance." Freud | | | | of money in 1890, and the drink did taste awful. |
| desperately wanted to marry Martha, but her | | | | Asa Grigg Candler added carbon dioxide bubbles |
| parents were rich and skeptical of this young | | | | to the drink that had had both the cocaine and |
| upstart who presumed to ask for their daughter's | | | | alcohol removed, and it was an instant success. |
| hand. So when Freud discovered cocaine, he had | | | | Now you know that Sigmund Freud who is known |
| high hopes of impressing them with his discovery | | | | today as the father of psychoanalysis also should |
| that cocaine could cure hunger, thirst and | | | | be known as the foster father of Coca Cola.Dr. |
| depression and even make people feel great. He | | | | Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for |
| couldn't wait to announce this new wonder drug | | | | 25 years and practicing physician for more than |
| to the scientific community, publishing "On Coca" in | | | | 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, |
| June 1884.Shortly after publishing his paper, Freud | | | | including sports medicine. Read or listen to |
| met an ophthalmology intern named Carl Koller. | | | | hundreds of his fitness and health reports at |
| Freud and Koller started taking cocaine | | | | weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and nutrition. |