306 A COMPENDIUM OF 
Opium.—Opium is obtained from the green 
capsule or fruit of the Papaver Somniferum.— 
Natural order Papaveraceze—and cultivated in 
western Asia for the opium contained in its 
capsule. We have already described the poppy 
plant under its proper head, hence repetition 
will be unnecessary. Opium, Meconium, The- 
baicum, or Succus Thebaicus, as it has been 
variously called, is the evaporated juice of the 
poppy, and obtained by making incisions into 
the unripe capsule of the Papaver Somniferum. 
The juice is milk-like at first, but becomes on 
exposure dark and thick, and on further evapo- 
ration becomes the opium of commerce, which 
occurs in irregular or sub-globular masses, hav- 
ing the remains of leaves or other packing ad- 
hering to it. Good opium should be moderately 
heavy, free from mould, and of a rich brown 
color, with a heavy narcotic odor and bitter 
taste, and should yield 10 per cent of morphine. 
The varieties are the Smyrna, Turkey, Per- 
sian, East Indian, Egyptian, and Mozambique. 
Opium contains mucilage, pectin, ash. glucose, 
wax, caoutchouc, fat, and meconic acid, besides 
the alkaloids of morphine, codeia, Thebaine, 
Narceine, or Narceine, Papaverine, Narcotine, 
Rheadine, also a secondary list, such as Afo- 
morphia, Apocodeia, Codamine, Cotarnine, Hy- 
drocotarnine, Meconidine, Cryptopine, Landa- 
nine and Lactic acid. Opium is poisonous, sed- 
ative, anodyne, anti-spasmodic and hypnotic in 
its effects, whilst the constituents have various 
effects. . Narceine, Papaverine, Cryptopine and 
Codeine are hypnotic; the Narcotine is re- 
vulsive and anti-periodic; the Apomorphie an 
