Carl Roller, cocain, and local anesthesia Some less known and forgotten facts
Modern-day local anesthesia began in 1884 with a discovery by young unknown ophthalmologist from Vienna named Carl Koller (1857 - 1944), who placed a cocaine solution on the cornea, thus producing insensibility. The news of his discovery spread throughout the world in less than a month. The story surrounding the revelation of the local anesthetic effect of cocaine and personalities involved is fascinating and relatively unknown.