A Race Against Death in St. Louis

The 1904 St. Louis Olympics hosted what remains the most perilous marathon in history. On a sweltering August day with temperatures exceeding 90°F (32°C), 32 runners embarked on a brutal 24.85-mile course through Missouri’s dust-choked rural roads. Among the competitors were:
– A debt-ridden Cuban postmaster who hitchhiked to the event
– Two Zulu tribesmen recruited from the Boer War exhibit at the World’s Fair
– American runner Thomas Hicks, whose victory would become a cautionary tale about early sports doping

With no proper hydration stations (just a single stone well at mile 11) and roads churned up by automobiles, the stage was set for catastrophe.

The Strychnine Cocktail That Nearly Killed a Champion

At mile 14, Hicks began faltering. His trainers Charles Lucas and Hugh McGrath administered what they believed to be a performance-enhancing tonic:
– 1mg strychnine sulfate (a powerful stimulant)
– Raw egg white to mask the bitter taste

As Hicks deteriorated further, his desperate team escalated their interventions:
– Rinsing his mouth with warm distilled water (but prohibiting actual hydration)
– Administering a second strychnine dose mixed with brandy at mile 20

Contemporary accounts describe Hicks’ final miles:
“His eyes were dull, his face ashen, his arms hung like lead weights. He ran mechanically, like a well-oiled machine.” The photo finish shows his face locked in a rictus grin—a hallmark of strychnine’s muscle spasms. Miraculously, Hicks crossed first but collapsed immediately after, having lost 8 pounds during the race. Medical staff spent hours reviving him.

The Poisonous History of Strychnine

### From Ayurvedic Remedy to Victorian Stimulant

The strychnine tree (Strychnos nux-vomica) originated in South Asia, where its seeds were used cautiously in traditional medicine. European encounters began tragically:
– 1840: A British sailor in Calcutta died after ingesting kuchila molung (a strychnine-laced parasitic plant)
– 1811: French physician Pierre-François Percy pioneered medical use for paralysis treatment
– 1818: Isolated strychnine alkaloid identified, with a lethal dose of just 5mg

### The Victorian Performance-Enhancement Craze

Before modern doping regulations, strychnine was the 19th century’s Adderall:
– Medical students used it to pull all-nighters (despite violent muscle spasms)
– 1896 case study describes metallic taste, facial rigidity, and near-death experience
– Marketed as “brain tonic” for neurasthenia and “weak constitutions”

Sexual Stimulant and Patent Medicine Scandal

### The Original Victorian Viagra

French physicians noted strychnine’s aphrodisiac effects as early as 1820. By the 1960s, Miami-based All Products Unlimited marketed “JEWEL” tablets containing strychnine as marital aids—until prosecuted for mail fraud.

### Patent Medicine Profiteering

Unregulated tonics made fortunes:
– Fellows’ Hypophosphites Compound Syrup (7 shillings per bottle)
– Easton’s Syrup (contained 2x strychnine, ¼ pint = lethal dose)
– Super-Hine (still available in UK until 1970)

Most infamously, Dr. Koester’s Anti-Gas Pills—containing strychnine—were prescribed to Adolf Hitler at 8-16 pills daily during WWII, potentially contributing to his erratic behavior.

The Bitter Legacy in Sports and Brewing

### Doping’s Dark Origins

Hicks’ “victory” foreshadowed modern doping scandals:
– 2001: Indian weightlifter Kunjarani Devi stripped of gold for strychnine use
– Modern drug tests still screen for strychnine metabolites

### The 1851 Beer Adulteration Scandal

British brewers faced shocking accusations:
– Allsopp’s IPA allegedly used strychnine instead of expensive hops
– Independent chemists disproved claims (but pub owners often did spike beer)
– Practice of watering down beer + adding strychnine for bitterness was widespread

Why Strychnine Still Matters Today

Though banned in Western medicine since the 1970s, strychnine’s history reveals uncomfortable truths:
1. The blurred line between “tonic” and “poison” in early sports medicine
2. How easily financial incentives corrupt safety standards
3. The cyclical nature of performance enhancement—from Victorian stimulants to modern SARMs

The 1904 marathon stands as both a grotesque spectacle and a pivotal moment that eventually led to modern anti-doping regulations. Hicks survived his ordeal, but his story remains sports medicine’s original sin—a stark reminder that the pursuit of victory often outpaces common sense.

As for that Indian weightlifter’s excuse about coffee containing strychnine? Scientifically false, but ironically, caffeine and strychnine are molecular cousins—both blocking glycine receptors, just with dramatically different consequences. Next time you need a performance boost, perhaps just stick to espresso.