We would never associate the use of the cocaine at the Milan of the times of the Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni and in fact drugs, as we know them today, were not present in the Milanese capital at that time. However, a very recent study by a team of researchers from theUniversity of Milan It would seem to confirm the consumption in the city already in the 17th century from the leaves of the coca plantwhich contain a very small quantity of cocaine (without causing psychotropic effects, if consumed) and from which, starting in 1859, the substance began to be extracted which then began to be taken as a drug. In particular, the study of the human remains from the cemetery of the ancient Major Hospital of Milan (in the crypt of the Ca’ Granda) led to the identification of traces of the consumption of coca leaves a good two centuries older compared to what was known until now. In fact, it was believed that the use of the coca plant (originally from South America) began in Italy and, more generally, in Europe only after the mid-nineteenth century.
For the study, the team of archaeologists, forensic anthropologists and toxicologists chose a sample of nine individualsdied during the 17th century and buried inside the underground cemetery linked to the ancient hospital, the Grand Housethe crypt of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Annunciate. All the samples chosen had at least partially preserved brain tissue. Once the necessary samples had been extracted, they were subjected to mass spectrometryone of the most widely used techniques for recognizing the molecules of different substances.
On two champions coming from the skulls of two individuals, a man estimated to be between 30 and 45 years old, and an individual whose sex and age could not be estimated, the presence of molecules of benzoylmethylecgonine (cocaine), benzoylecgonine And igrina. These three substances are active components or derivatives of the Erythroxylum cocathe coca plant coming from South America. The researchers from the University of Milan initially considered that these molecules could be linked to some contamination external, but the presence of benzoylmethylecgonine and benzoylecgonine implies that the substance she was hired alive by the two individuals in the sample. The second is in fact a substance produced by the metabolism of our body starting from the benzoylmethylecgonine molecule.
This is a discovery extraordinary: until today, the first news about the presence and consumption of the coca plant in Europe could be dated back to at the latest second half of the 19th century. However, we must reiterate: we must not think of modern cocaine use as a drug in the form of saltsbut in a simple way chewing the leavesas has been the custom for centuries among many native populations of the Andesthe area where the plant originates Erythroxylum coca. Chewing coca leaves still occurs today and is not an illegal activity, precisely because it does not generate psychotropic effects: it is practiced for example by Andean miners because it manages to increase physical resistance a little and alleviate the feeling of hunger and fatigue.
At this point let’s try to give this discovery some context. historical contextThe habit of chewing coca leaves was quite widespread among the Andean populations well before the arrival of the conquistadors Spanish in the New World. When the Europeans recognized the capacity of this plant, they learned to exploit it, without starting a mass import though in the Old Continent. However, it is plausible that in the 17th century two patients at the Ospedale Maggiore in Milan had the opportunity to consume coca leaves.
We must not forget that the Duchy of Milan at the time it was part of the Spanish possessions and that the Milanese city was already at one of the main economic centers of Europe, characterized by massive imports of luxury and exotic goods. Although the substance is not present in the ancient hospital drug register until the end of the 19th century, it cannot be ruled out that the two individuals who tested positive took it on external medical prescription (not from the hospital) or recreational purposeThe male skull, estimated to be between 30 and 45 years old, showed traces that suggest he suffered from third stage syphilisand the use of the leaves could be a remedy for chronic pain.
