Karl Koller

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Karl Koller (1857-1944) was an Austrian ophthalmologist who began his medical career as a surgeon at the Vienna General Hospital, and was a colleague of Sigmund Freud.

Koller is famous for introducing cocaine as a local anaesthetic for eye surgery. Prior to this discovery, he had tested solutions such as chloral hydrate and morphine as anaesthetics in the eyes of laboratory animals without success. Freud was fully aware of the pain-killing properties of cocaine, but Koller recognized its tissue-numbing capabilities, and in 1884 demonstrated its potential as a local anaesthetic to the medical community (Freud was distracted with romantic interest at this crucial time). Koller's findings were considered a medical breakthrough , because of the previous difficulty of performing eye surgery. This is because the involuntary reflex motions of the eye to respond to the slightest stimuli. Soon after, cocaine was also used as a local anaesthetic in other medical fields such as dentistry. In the 20th century, other agents such as Xylocaine have replaced cocaine as a local anaesthetic.

In 1888, Karl Kohler moved to the United States and practiced ophthalmology in New York. He has received many distinctions in his career, including being honored by the American Ophthalmological Society as the first recipient of the "Lucien Howe Medal" in 1922. This award is given to physicians in recognition of outstanding achievements in ophthalmology. In 1930 he was also honored by the Medical Association of Vienna.

One of Koller's patients was a ten year old boy named Chauncey Leake, who could not see as other boys did , but recovered his sight , furnished an admirable translation of De motu cordis , and grew up to become a scientist . Chauncey Leake was well recognised by anaesthesiologists for his discovery of divinyl ether .

Koller was reputedly nicknamed "Coca Koller" for his association with the drug and although he was implored to recognise his status as a public figure due to his discovery of local anaesthesia , he did not engage in autobiography . Karl Koller lived sixty years after his discovery , serving his fellow men while keeping inviolate the hippocratic oath .