132 
when used to adulterate the genuine opium. The heads are 
gathered as they ripen, and as this happens at different times, 
there are annually three or four gatherings. They are brought 
to market in bags, each containing about 3000 heads and sold to 
the druggists. The London market is chiefly supplied from 
Mitcham in Surrey. The heads or capsules possess anodyne pro- 
perties; they are chiefly employed boiled in water, as fomentations 
to inflamed and ulcerated surfaces, and the syrup prepared from 
them with inspissated decoction, is used as an anodyne for chil- 
dren, and toallay the tickling cough in chronic catarrh and phthisis. 
A strong decoction of the dried heads, mixed with as much sugar 
as is sufficient to reduce it tọ the consistence of a syrup, becomes 
fit for keeping in a liquid form, and is the only officinal prepar- 
ation of the poppy. It is, however, a very unequal preparation, 
as the real quantity of opium it contains is very uncertain; as a 
medicine it is by no means equal to syrup, to which a certain 
quantity of solution of opium is added. ‘The seeds of the poppy 
are simply emulsive, and contain none of the. narcotic principle. 
They yield a considerable quantity of oil by expression. 
The milky juice of the poppy in its more perfect state, which 
is the case in warm climates only, is extracted by incisions made 
in the capsules and inspissated ; and in this state forms the opium 
of commerce. The mode of obtaining it seems to have been 
nearly the same in the time of Dioscorides, as is at this day 
adopted. ‘The plants, during their growth, are carefully watered 
and manured, the watering being more profuse as the period of 
flowering approaches, and until the capsules are half grown, 
when itis discontinued, and the collection of the opium commences. 
At sunset longitudinal incisions are made upon each half-ripe 
capsule, passing below upwards and not penetrating to the in- 
ternal cavity. The night dews favour the exudation of the juice, 
which is collected in the morning by women and children, who 
scrape it from off the wounds with a small iron scoop, and de- 
posit the whole in an earthen pot, where it is worked by wooden 
spatules in the sunshine, until it attains a considerable degree of 
thickness. It is then formed by the hand into cakes which are 
laid in earthen basins to be further exsiccated, when it is covered 
over with poppy or tobacco leaves. Such is the mode followed 
in India, and according to Keempfer’s account, nearly the same is 
practised in Persia; and when the juice is drawn in a similar 
manner in this country, and inspissated, it has all the characters 
of pure opium. 
Two kinds of opium are found in commerce, distinguished 
by the names of Turkey and East Indian opium. The Turkey 
opium is a solid compact perfectly transparent substance, of 
moderate specific gravity, possessing a considerable degree of 
tenacity, yet somewhat brittle, if half cut through; the sec- 
tion dense and a little shining; of a dark brown colour, 
becoming softer by the heat of the fingers, with difficulty 
reduced to powder, unless in the cold, after having been long 
dried in small pieces. Powder of a light brown, and readily 
plastic when baked together ; when moistened marking on paper 
a light brown interrupted streak, scarcely colouring the saliva 
when chewed, at least only tinging it of a greenish colour, and 
rendering it frothy, exciting at first a nauseous bitter taste, which 
soon becomes acrid with some degree of warmth, and having a 
peculiar disagreeable smell. The best kind of opium is in flat 
pieces ; and besides the large leaves in which they are enve- 
loped, they are covered with the reddish capsules of a species 
of Rumex used in packing it. The round masses which have 
none of the capsules adhering to them are evidently inferior in 
quality. Opium is bad if it is soft or friable, mixed with any 
impurities, have an intensely dark or blackish colour, a weak 
smell, a sweetish taste, or draws upon paper a brown continuous 
streak. The East Indian opium has much less consistence, 
being sometimes not thicker than tar, and always ductile. Its 
PAPAVERACE. 
I. PAPAVER. 
colour is much darker; its taste more nauseous ànd less bitter, 
and its smell rather empyreumatic. When imported it is con- 
siderably cheaper than Turkey opium, and is supposed to be only 
half the strength. One-eighth of the weight is allowed for the 
enormous quantity of leaves with which it is enveloped. In the 
East Indies when opium is not good enough to bring a certain 
price, it is destroyed under the inspection of public officers, 
No opium of this kind is now brought to Europe. Mr. Ker 
relates that at Bahar it is frequently adulterated with cow-dung, 
the extract of the poppy procured by boiling and various other 
substances. In Malava it is mixed with oil of Sésamum, which 
is often one half of the mass ; ashes and dried leaves of the plant 
are alsoused. It is also adulterated with the aqueous extract of 
the capsules; the extracts of Glaúcium luteum, Lactuca virosa and 
Glycyrrhiza glabra, and sometimes with gum arabic, tragacanth, 
aloes, and many other articles. 
The action of opium on the living system has been the sub- 
ject of the keenest controversy. Some have asserted that it is 
a direct sedative, and that it produces no stimulant effects what- 
ever; while others have asserted as strongly that it is a powerful 
and highly diffusible stimulus, and that the sedative effects which 
it undeniably produces are merely the consequences of previous 
excitement. The truth appears to be that opium is capable of 
producing a certain degree of excitement, while the sedative 
effects which always succeed are incomparably greater than 
could be produced by the previous excitement. The stimulant 
effects are most apparent from small doses. These increase the 
energy of the mind, the frequency of the pulse, and the heat of 
the body, excite thirst, render the mouth dry and parched, and 
diminish all the secretions and excretions, except the cuticular 
discharge, which they increase. These effects are succeeded by 
languor and lassitude. In larger doses the stimulant effects 
are not so apparent, but the excitability is remarkably diminished, 
and confusion, vertigo, and sleep are produced. In excessive 
doses it proves a violent narcotic poison, exciting headach, ver- 
tigo, delirium, and convulsions, accompanied with a very slow 
pulse, stertorous breathing, and a remarkable degree of insen- 
sibility or stupor, terminated by apoplectic death. The effects 
of an overdose are best counteracted by the exhibition of re- 
peated doses of diffusible stimuli, and chiefly by not permitting 
the person to yield to his desire of sleeping. A solution of an 
alkaline carbonate should also be injected to decompose the opium 
and render the morphia insoluble. The exhibition of a powerful 
emetic, and for this purpose sulphate of zinc or sulphate of 
copper dissolved in water should be immediately swallowed, and 
the vomiting kept up for a considerable time and urged by irrita- 
tion of the fauces. Large draughts of vinegar and water 0f 
other acidulated fluids should afterwards be frequently taken, 
and the powers of the habit supported by brandy, coffee, and 
cordials. Currie recommends the affusion of warm water at 
106 degrees for the removing the drowsiness. By habit the 
effects of opium on the body are remarkably diminished. There 
have been instances of four grains proving fatal to adults, while 
others have been known to consume as many drachms daily. 
The habitual use of opium produces the same effects with habi- 
tual dram-drinking ; tremors, paralysis, stupidity, and gener 
emaciation ; and like it can scarcely ever be relinquished. In 
disease, opium is chiefly employed to mitigate pain, diminis 
morbid sensibility, procure sleep, allay inordinate actions, and to 
check diarrhoea and other excessive discharges. It is contra-in° 
dicated in gastric affections, plethora, a highly inflammatory staté 
of the body, and determination of the blood to particular viscera: 
The Turks call opium afioni, and in the teriakihana or opum 
shops of Constantinople they take it in graduated doses from 
grains to 100 grains ina day., It is mixed with rich syrup 
the inspissated juices of fruit to render it more palatable an 
