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Analysis of the brains of individuals from 17th-century Milan indicates that they were utilising the coca plant (Erythroxylum spp.) several centuries before the drug was previously believed to have reached Europe.
The coca plant originates in South America, where it has a long history of use for both medicinal and recreational purposes, and where it was first encountered by Spanish conquistadors in the 15th century. However, the plant’s first documented introduction to Europe was not until the early 19th century, when it was synthesised as cocaine hydrochloride salts (the form in which cocaine is most commonly consumed today). Now, though, a new study suggests that this is not the full story.
With the support of the FAITH project at the University of Milan, a team of researchers set out to investigate the toxicological habits of individuals in the Ca’ Granda crypt, a burial place for patients of the Ospedale Maggiore, a pioneering hospital that provided medical treatment to Milan’s poorer residents in the 17th century. The naturally mummified brain tissues of nine people buried in the crypt in the early 1600s were analysed by the Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology and Archaeotoxicology of the University of Milan. In two of the individuals, they identified three molecules associated with Erythroxylum spp.: cocaine, benzoylecgonine, and hygrine. Together, these elements confirm not just that the drug was consumed, but that it was ingested by chewing coca leaves or brewing them as tea.
This evidence pushes back the presence of the coca plant in Europe c.200 years, making it a surprising discovery, but by no means impossible. In the early 17th century, the Duchy of Milan was under Spanish control, and subsequently had direct access to maritime networks transporting goods from the Americas, including other exotic plants. It is, therefore, entirely possible that some coca leaves may have made their way to Milan via the same routes.
Cocaine is not listed in the hospital pharmacy’s records until the 19th century, but these two individuals may still have received the drug as part of their treatment there. Alternatively, they could have consumed it before their entry to hospital, either from other healers or through ‘recreational’ use to ameliorate the harsh realities of life for Milan’s poor.
The research has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2024.106040).
Text: Amy Brunskill / Image: Wikimedia Commons, François Delonnay
