Coca-Cola, caffeine, and mental deficiency: Harry Hollingworth and the Chattanooga trial of 1911.
Harry Hollingworth's 1911 investigation of the behavioral effects of caffeine is one of the earliest examples of psychological research contracted by a large corporation. The research was necessitated by a federal government suit against the Coca-Cola Company for marketing a beverage with a deleterious ingredient, namely, caffeine. Although Hollingworth's research played little role in the outcome of the Coca-Cola trials, it was important as a model of sophistication in experimental design. As such, it set a standard for psychopharmacological research. It also was particularly important in directing Hollingworth toward a life-long career in applied psychology.
Benjamin
L T
LT
Texas A&M University, College Station 77843.
Rogers
A M
AM
Rosenbaum
A
A
D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000266:history*; D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000266:history*; D005525:Food-Processing Industry / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007603:Jurisprudence / Q000266:history; D007881:Legislation, Food / Q000266:history*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States
D002110:Caffeine