Sigmund Freud and Carl Koller: the controversy surrounding the discovery of local anesthesia

摘要

Would history still credit Carl Koller with discovering the local anesthetic properties of cocaine if Sigmund Freud had staked a claim to the discovery? This paper discusses and evaluates the contribution of both men with respect to this momentous discovery. An extensive literature search (in Spanish and English) of several Internet search engines, the University of Maryland Online Library, and Medline database for books and articles relating to the role of Sigmund Freud and Carl Koller in the discovery of local anesthesia was conducted. While Sigmund Freud's role in the discovery of the local anesthetic properties of cocaine cannot be overlooked, it was Carl Koller who took the important steps required of scientific investigation, namely, those of experimentation, clinical application, and scientific dissemination. For this reason, Koller is rightly regarded as the discoverer of local anesthesia.