RT Book, Section A1 Lehmann, Lance J. A2 Bajwa, Zahid H. A2 Wootton, R. Joshua A2 Warfield, Carol A. SR Print(0) ID 1131938266 T1 Local Anesthetics T2 Principles and Practice of Pain Medicine, 3e YR 2016 FD 2016 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071766838 LK neurology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1131938266 RD 2024/03/29 AB Cocaine is a naturally occurring compound. It was the first anesthetic to be discovered and is the only naturally occurring local anesthetic; all others are synthetically derived. Cocaine was introduced in Europe in 1860 after its isolation from coca leaves by German chemist Albert Niemann (1834–1861). Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), the noted Austrian psychoanalyst, was an early proponent of its medicinal uses. He encouraged a physician colleague, Dr. Carl Koller (1857–1944) to experiment with its analgesic properties.