New research has uncovered evidence that Europeans were using cocaine as early as the 17th century, offering new perspectives on its use centuries earlier than previously thought.
The discovery was made by a team of biomedical researchers during a toxicological analysis of the preserved brains of two individuals from the 1600s, found in a crypt in Milan, Italy. By employing advanced forensic techniques, the researchers detected chemical traces associated with the coca plant, including the tropane alkaloid cocaine.
The findings, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, not only rewrite the timeline of drug use in Europe but also provide new insights into the global trade networks that connected Europe with the Americas during the early modern period.
Moreover, cocaine wasn’t introduced as a medical therapy in Europe until the mid-19th century, raising the intriguing possibility that Europeans might have been using the drug recreationally as far back as the 1600s.
“Given that the plant was not listed inside the detailed hospital pharmacopeia, it may not have been given as a medicinal remedy but may have been used for other purposes,” researchers wrote. “This study demonstrates the importance and the potential of the application of toxicological analyses to archaeological contexts and allows to backdate the arrival of the Erythroxylum spp. [coca plant] in Europe by almost two hundred years.”
Cocaine, an alkaloid derived from the leaves of the coca plant, has a storied history that spans both medical and recreational domains.
The coca plant, scientifically known as Erythroxylum coca, grows almost exclusively in the Andean regions of northern and western South America. Indigenous peoples of these areas have chewed coca leaves for millennia, recognizing their stimulant effects, which help combat fatigue and altitude sickness.
Previous studies have shown that people in present-day Peru communally chewed coca leaves as far back as 6,000 B.C.E. Further research has traced coca consumption in northern Chile to at least 3,000 years ago.
Coca was initially introduced in Europe in the 16th century, following the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Early accounts by explorers and missionaries described the use of coca by indigenous South Americans, but these reports were often met with skepticism or ignored by European audiences more interested in other exotic imports like tobacco, chocolate, and gold.
It wasn’t until the mid-19th century that coca, and by extension cocaine, began to gain popularity among Europeans.
In 1855, German chemist Friedrich Gaedcke became the first person to successfully isolate cocaine alkaloids from coca leaves. Four years later, Italian neurologist and anthropologist Dr. Paolo Mantegazza published an influential paper extolling the virtues of coca leaves, praising their ability to enhance cognitive function and physical stamina.
Mantegazza’s work, along with the subsequent refined isolation, would spark a wave of public interest in cocaine. By the late 19th century, the drug was used in various medicinal products, from tonics and lozenges to anesthetics, and had even found its way into popular consumer goods like Coca-Cola.
However, these recent findings suggest that some Europeans may have been experimenting with coca and cocaine at least 200 years earlier than previously recorded.
This indicates that some Europeans knew about and appreciated the effects of cocaine, forcing historians to rethink its role in European society long before it became a mainstream substance.
In fact, since its use was not considered a possibility in Europe over 400 years ago, researchers effectively stumbled upon the traces of cocaine alkaloids while performing toxicological analyses of human remains to better understand the pharmacological habits of people in 17th-century Milan.
The unexpected discovery came while researchers were examining eight crania and eight residues of brain tissues from the mummified remains of two individuals entombed in the Ca’ Granda crypt inside the Church of the Beata Vergine Annunciata, which is located adjacent to the Ospedale Maggiore” (Great Hospital).
“During the 17th century, the Ospedale Maggiore was a pioneering hospital in Europe, specialized in the medical treatment of acute illnesses among impoverished and disadvantaged individuals residing in the city,” researchers wrote. “The crypt of the church was intended as the place of burial of the deceased patients of the hospital, for almost the entire 17th century.”
The implications of this discovery extend beyond the history of drug use. It also provides new information about the nature of international trade and cultural exchange during the early modern period. The fact that cocaine, a substance native to South America, was being used in Milan in the 1600s highlights the reach of global trade networks and the complex interactions between different cultures during this period.
This discovery also raises questions about how cocaine was perceived and used in 17th-century Europe. While the historical record is sparse, it is possible that coca and cocaine were used for their stimulant properties, much like how coffee and tobacco were used during the same period. The use of such substances could have been part of a broader trend of experimentation with new and exotic goods brought to Europe through trade.
Moreover, the location of the burials suggests the individuals showing traces of cocaine use were likely poor laborers. This adds another wrinkle to the historical record because it implies that not only was use going on, but coca leaves were relatively inexpensive and abundant in 17th-century Europe.
Ultimately, the study’s findings suggest that the seeds of cocaine’s later popularity may have been sown much earlier than previously thought. This is a reminder that the history of drug use is often more complex and nuanced than it appears.
It also highlights the interconnectedness of the world during the early modern period, with substances like cocaine making their way across oceans and continents long before they became part of the mainstream culture.
As researchers note, “This study allows for a better understanding of how the use of cocaine has changed over the centuries in Europe, starting as a recreational or medical substance, evolving as a medicine in the 19th century, and becoming a widespread substance of abuse for its psychoactive properties, as well as the cause of 1/5 of overdose deaths across the world in the 20th century.”
Tim McMillan is a retired law enforcement executive, investigative reporter and co-founder of The Debrief. His writing typically focuses on defense, national security, the Intelligence Community and topics related to psychology. You can follow Tim on Twitter: @LtTimMcMillan. Tim can be reached by email: tim@thedebrief.org or through encrypted email: LtTimMcMillan@protonmail.com