Antedating of "Cocaine"

Tue Dec 2 23:50:58 UTC 2008

cocaine (OED 1874)

1861 _Madras Journal of Literarature and Science_ 1 Dec. 271 (19th Century UK Periodicals)  A chemical analysis gives an alkaloid, "Cocaine,"" which bears a strong resemblance to Aconite, the active principle of Bella donna, and like it, has the property of dilating the pupil of the eye.

Fred Shapiro

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Fred R. Shapiro                                            Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and        YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press
Yale Law School                                           ISBN 0300107986
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu
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