Primary sourceDocument1884
Über Coca
Sigmund Freud · 1884
Freud's 1884 scientific paper praising the effects of cocaine, from early in his career as a neurologist.
Freud wrote this paper himself early in his medical career, before founding psychoanalysis.
About this source
What it is
A scientific paper written in German by Sigmund Freud in 1884, before he developed psychoanalysis, describing the coca plant and the effects of cocaine.
Why it matters
In this paper Freud described cocaine as producing exhilaration and lasting effects, part of a wider wave of medical interest in cocaine during the 1880s, around the same time it came into use as an anesthetic in Germany. The paper is a reminder that before psychoanalysis, Freud worked as a neurologist experimenting with new substances whose dangers were not yet understood. It is now seen as a controversial episode in his career, since cocaine's addictive and harmful effects were not yet recognized.
Look closer
- Why might a doctor in the 1880s have been excited about a new substance like cocaine?
- What does this paper show about how medical understanding changes over time?
- How does this episode complicate the image of Freud as a careful scientist?
This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sigmund Freud on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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