Cocaine Found In 17th Century Mummies: A Secret Habit Of The European Elite?

By Lucía Tedesco via El Planteo

A team of scientists discovered cocaine in the brains of mummies found in the crypt of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Annunciata in Italy.

These human remains belonged to patients from the Ospedale Maggiore Hospital in Milan and date back to the 17th century. Remarkably, the brains were exceptionally well-preserved, which is unusual.

Toxicological examinations revealed the presence of cocaine: benzoylecgonine (an inactive metabolite of the substance) and hygrine (an alkaloid found in coca leaves) were found in two of the nine brains studied.

Cocaine In Mummies: What Was Happening Before The 19th Century?

This finding represents the first piece of evidence of cocaine’s presence in Europe before the 19th century, a period when the drug began to be synthesized and used as an anesthetic and stimulant.

The Erythroxylum spp (the plant from which the drug is derived) might have been introduced and used much earlier than previously documented, meaning that by the 17th century, residents of Milan had already come into contact with it.

Researchers suggest that the drug might have arrived clandestinely from America, possibly via traders or sailors. Another theory is that it was secretly used by the elite, as there are no records of it in official medical documents from that era.

“This study demonstrates the potential of toxicological tests applied to archaeological contexts, allowing us to gain a clearer understanding of the history of cocaine use in Europe,” the scientific team stated, according to El Cronista.

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