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The Clinical Etymologist

The Clinical Etymologist

Mi Amigo, Pablo

Aug 1, 2026 · 12 min · 9 segments

Send us Fan Mail What do a Bolivian schoolboy, a few bitter green leaves, and a patient having a seizure have in common? More than you might think…

Send us Fan Mail What do a Bolivian schoolboy, a few bitter green leaves, and a patient having a seizure have in common? More than you might think. Forty years ago, while attending middle school in Buenos Aires, my friend Pablo offered me my very first coca leaves. At the time, I had no idea that this ancient Andean plant would one day reappear at the bedside of a critically ill patient. In this episode, we'll trace the remarkable journey of coca—from sacred indigenous tradition to one of medicine's most dangerous recreational drugs. Along the way, we'll uncover why cocaine can trigger seizures, heart attacks, strokes, hyperthermia, and sudden death. This is the story of **Mi Amigo Pablo**.

Send us Fan Mail What do a Bolivian schoolboy, a few bitter green leaves, and a patient having a seizure have in common? More than you might think…

Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music

Show signals: Audience≈2 followers

Speakers: Simon KimHost

Top entities: Cocaine×2 Buenos Aires×3 Coca-Cola×5 CT scan×6 Argentina×9

A World-Cup Flashback to Coca Leaves0:36 – 2:17

S

0:36

I was on call as the hospitalist, but the hospital was unusually quiet.

S

0:42

The World Cup final was playing softly in the background, Spain versus Argentina.

S

0:48

As the Argentine national anthem began, [Argentine national anthem] I stopped for a moment.

S

1:00

Music has a peculiar ability to collapse time.

S

1:05

Within seconds, I was no longer sitting in a Canadian hospital.

S

1:09

I was sixteen years old again, newly arrived in Argentina, trying to find my place in a new country.

S

1:17

At my school, the Colegio Guido Spano in Barrio Palermo, Buenos Aires, I met a Bolivian boy named Pablo.

S

1:26

One day, he reached into his pocket, unfolded a small bundle of green leaves, said something I did not understand, and handed me a few.

S

1:36

I barely spoke Spanish, or Castellano as the Argentines called their language back then.

S

1:43

Wanting to be polite, I placed the leaves into my mouth.

S

1:46

They were astonishingly bitter.

S

1:49

Within seconds, I spat them out.

S

1:52

Pablo burst into laughter and handed me a bottle of Coca-Cola.

S

1:57

I gratefully washed away the taste.

S

2:00

At the time, I had no idea what Pablo had given me.

S

2:05

They were coca leaves.

S

2:07

Forty years passed.

S

2:09

Just as the Argentine anthem faded into the background, the wall telephone shattered the nostalgia.

CocaineEntityDrug
98%2 mentions
Buenos AiresCityCapital of Argentina
94%3 mentions
Coca-ColaProductCarbonated soft drinks
90%5 mentions
CT scanEntityMedical imaging
85%6 mentions
ArgentinaCountryCountry in South America
81%9 mentions
CocaEntityPlant
77%1 mention
SchoolEntityOrganization type
73%1 mention
FIFA World CupSports OrganizationFootball competition
69%3 mentions
ArgentinesEntityPeople
65%1 mention
AndesMountainMountain range in South America
60%4 mentions
ElectrocardiographyEntityDiagnostic test
56%2 mentions
SerotoninEntityCompound
46%3 mentions
DopamineEntityDrug
46%1 mention
NorepinephrineEntityHormone
46%1 mention
arterial hypertensionEntityMedical condition
46%1 mention
Call to actionEntity
35%1 mention
SpanishLanguageSpoken language
31%2 mentions
Lionel MessiPersonArgentine footballer
27%1 mention
SpainCountryCountry
23%1 mention
CanadaCountryCountry in North America
19%1 mention
Sigmund FreudPersonAustrian neurologist
15%1 mention
VasospasmEntityCondition
10%1 mention
Intensive care unitEntity
4%1 mention
Intravenous therapyEntity
4%1 mention

HealthcareHealth
Substance UseHealth > Healthcare
Cultural SignificanceCulture > Music
FoodCulture
SeizuresHealth > Healthcare > Medical Conditions > Neurological Disorders
Patient ManagementHealth > Healthcare > Emergency Medicine
TraditionsCulture > Music > Cultural Significance
Emergency MedicineHealth > Healthcare
Medical ConditionsHealth > Healthcare
Traditional PracticesCulture > Food
Health
Culture
MusicCulture
Neurological DisordersHealth > Healthcare > Medical Conditions
Coca LeavesCulture > Music > Cultural Significance > Traditions
CocaineHealth > Healthcare > Substance Use
Cocaine EffectsHealth > Healthcare > Substance Use > Cocaine
Seizure ManagementHealth > Healthcare > Emergency Medicine > Patient Management
Coca LeavesCulture > Food > Traditional Practices
Coca ChewingCulture > Food > Traditional Practices > Coca Leaves

A World-Cup Flashback to Coca Leaves0:36 – 2:17

S

0:36

I was on call as the hospitalist, but the hospital was unusually quiet.

S

0:42

The World Cup final was playing softly in the background, Spain versus Argentina.

S

0:48

As the Argentine national anthem began, [Argentine national anthem] I stopped for a moment.

S

1:00

Music has a peculiar ability to collapse time.

S

1:05

Within seconds, I was no longer sitting in a Canadian hospital.

S

1:09

I was sixteen years old again, newly arrived in Argentina, trying to find my place in a new country.

S

1:17

At my school, the Colegio Guido Spano in Barrio Palermo, Buenos Aires, I met a Bolivian boy named Pablo.

S

1:26

One day, he reached into his pocket, unfolded a small bundle of green leaves, said something I did not understand, and handed me a few.

S

1:36

I barely spoke Spanish, or Castellano as the Argentines called their language back then.

S

1:43

Wanting to be polite, I placed the leaves into my mouth.

S

1:46

They were astonishingly bitter.

S

1:49

Within seconds, I spat them out.

S

1:52

Pablo burst into laughter and handed me a bottle of Coca-Cola.

S

1:57

I gratefully washed away the taste.

S

2:00

At the time, I had no idea what Pablo had given me.

S

2:05

They were coca leaves.

S

2:07

Forty years passed.

S

2:09

Just as the Argentine anthem faded into the background, the wall telephone shattered the nostalgia.

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