Abstract
As no one has answered the question asked by Sir J. F. D. Donnelly in your issue of September 8, will you allow me to say that the hypodermic injection of cocaine, or indeed its use in any form, is never quite free from risk. As with most other drugs there is an element of idiosyncrasy, which sometimes produces unexpected and unpleasant results. I believe these occur more frequently, when the drug is injected, than when it is simply applied to the mucous membrane; and when they do occur, they are very alarming. I know that some dentists have given up the practice of injecting cocaine into the gums before extraction on this account, and having been present once when it was done, I should not consent to it again. What we have to remember with regard to the use of all powerful drugs is this, that a few individuals under all conditions, and nearly all under certain conditions, are specially susceptible to their action, and that we cannot determine à priori either the individuals so predisposed, or the conditions which render susceptible those not specially predisposed. These drugs must therefore be used with caution, and not be regarded as wholly innocuous.
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OXON, M. The Injection of Cocaine as a Remedy for Stings. Nature 58, 497 (1898). https://doi.org/10.1038/058497b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/058497b0
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