“The psychoanalysis of neurotics has taught us to recognize the intimate connection between wetting the bed and the character trait of ambition.”

-Sigmund Freud

According to the chronology, Sigmund Freud discovered the anesthetic qualities of cocaine in 1884. Freud also used cocaine as an antidepressant during his stressful, tiring days. Aside from that notice, cocaine was merely a side interest of Freud (at the time), and he received a fair amount from the Merck Company to study its physiological effects. During his studies, Freud suggested the use of cocaine to Carl Koller, one of his colleagues. Koller soon experimented cocaine on animals who were enduring minor surgeries, finding that cocaine bore anesthetic qualities. He is known as the true discoverer of cocaine's anesthetic qualities. Meanwhile, Freud wrote an article, known as "On Cocaine", which was published in a Vienna magazine in 1884. This article was published due to an encounter with one of his colleagues, who was having severe intestinal pain. Freud administered his colleague a dosage of medicine with a 5% cocaine content, finding that it numbed both his colleague's tongue and mouth. On the contrary, while the medicine did prove successful, caused Freud's colleague to die a slow, agonizing death; the supposed remedy only worsened the condition of the intestinal pain. Freud's colleague died a slow, horrible death. "If only it had soothed his pain", Freud exclaimed, shortly after the death of his colleague.