Gesnerus
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Biography Historical Article
[E. Merck and cocaine. On Sigmund Freud's cocaine studies and their relation to the Darmstadt industry].
Documents from the archives of the pharmaceutical company, E. Merck, Darmstadt, shed light on research, production, and marketing of cocaine and other coca alkaloids. When cocaine proved to be a local anaesthetic in 1884 the market expanded enormously. ⋯ Merck is compared with that of other companies in Germany and abroad. Freud, who published on cocaine from 1884 to 1887, was in contact with E. Merck and performed clinical studies for them as well as for an American company.
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Historical Article
[Basic concepts of pathology in Germany 1858 until today and progress in medicine].
The rise of scientific medicine in the 19th century had its origins mainly in Rudolf Virchows localistic cellular pathology. As a consequence the organism as a complex system was kept in the background. ⋯ Deficits appeared even in 19th century, when treatment of patients was mainly focussed on practicability of cure, ignoring the social background. Therefore, it is not possible to speak about progress of pathology in general, for diagnostics depends also on individual mentality, the subject, and the situation of the time.