The use of coca changed somewhat when the Spanish conquistadors first came to South America during the mid-sixteenth century. After the Spanish conquered the mountain tribes they forcibly converted them to Catholicism; Catholic priests, wishing to stamp out what they saw as a pagan practice, forbade the chewing of coca leaves. The Spanish, however, also forced the Indians to labor in the mines and fields and quickly observed that the workers tired more quickly when deprived of their coca leaves. To remedy this situation, the Spanish overseers distributed leaves to workers three to four times a day to increase their energy levels and productivity. The overseers began chewing the leaves as well and noted the same pleasant effects that the Indians experienced.

The Spanish sent shipments of the leaves back to Europe, where they became quite popular among the wealthy. The chewing of coca leaves did not, however, become widespread because shipping large quantities of leaves was not economically feasible and attempts to grow coca in Europe failed because the climate there was not suitable.

For nearly two hundred years, interest in coca leaves and their effect on the mind and body languished; for the most part the coca plant was merely a curiosity, of concern only to botanists such as Sir William Hooker, who in 1835 made the first accurate drawing of Erythroxylon coca for the magazine Companion to the Botanical Magazine. Cocaine’s potential for medical use remained known to a few doctors, however, and in 1850 small amounts of diluted cocaine were used experimentally for the first time as an anesthetic during throat surgery. By 1855, scientists had accomplished a major breakthrough when they learned how to extract pure cocaine from the coca leaves in large volumes.

Although the medical community in Europe was just beginning to investigate the medical benefits of cocaine, soldiers had the most direct experience with the drug. Military leaders, learning of cocaine’s effectiveness both as a painkiller and as an energy booster, tested cocaine on troops and found that these soldiers were able to endure longer marches and to fight more vigorously than soldiers who did not take the drug. Tests also indicated a distinct increase in soldiers’ willingness to engage in fierce battles under the drug.

As the amount and availability of cocaine increased in Europe, some of it got into the hands of the public, which quickly discovered its ability to boost a person’s energy level. Office workers found that cocaine seemed to make their day pass more swiftly, and athletes soon recognized that cocaine might have value in sports that required endurance. Several English long-distance runners, for example, attributed their success to chewing the coca leaves during races.

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