ABSTRACT
Sigmund Freud and Karl Koller were successful in their research, while others failed, because Freud and Koller had easy access to purified cocaine. Yes, coca wines and tonics were popular in Europe long before either Freud or Koller even enrolled in medical school, but the coca extracts prescribed by physicians were notoriously unreliable; the cocaine content was unpredictable and, therefore, so was its effect. Before Freud and Koller published their observations, there was no demand for purified cocaine. The miniscule amounts produced by reputable chemists, such as Merck, were so expensive that few could afford them. After Freud and Koller published their findings, demand for cocaine was insatiable, but supplies were, at first, limited.
