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By far the most important constituent of opium is morphia, and 

 hence the quality of opium is judged by the yield per cent, of this 

 alkaloid ; it is combined with a peculiar acid called meconic acid. 

 Besides these constituents, opium contains a number of other prin- 

 ciples, some of which have basic, and others neutral properties. 

 In many cases, however, the principles extracted from opium are 

 secondary or derivative constituents which are produced in the 

 processes employed by the chemist for the separation of its pri- 

 mary or natural constituents. 



Opium is largely used in addition to its narcotic properties, 

 as an alleviative, soporific, and antispasmodic. It is generally used 

 either in a solid form or in tincture under the name of laudanum. 



Varieties of Opium.— The varieties of opium which have been 

 distinguished by pharmacologists are Smyrna, Constantinople, 

 Egyptian, Persian, European, East Indian, and Chinese. Of these 

 varieties, only the first four are ordinarily found in European and 

 American commerce ; and of these, again, Maltass has shown that 

 there is no real difference between the Smyrna and Constantino- 

 ple varieties, both being the produce of the same districts, from 

 which they are forwarded to Smyrna or Constantinople for sale, 

 and are thence exported, but more particularly from Smyrna, to 

 other parts of the world. These two latter varieties, which are 

 the produce of Asia Minor, are those alone which are official in the 

 British Pharmacopoeia. 



Asia Mifior Opitun. — Under this head are included all opiums 

 which are known as Smyrna, Constantinople, Turkey, or Levant. It is 

 the produce of Papaver sonmiferum, var. glabrum, the purple variety. 

 It occurs in irregularly rounded or flattened masses, which vary 

 commonly in size from about eight ounces to two pounds, but 

 smaller and larger lumps may be also found. Externally the 

 lumps are usually covered with portions of poppy leaves scattered 

 over with the reddish-brown chaffy fruits of a species of Rumex. 

 In some masses, in consequence of their having been much handled, 

 the pericarps are more or less separated from the fruits ; so that 

 the seeds are alone found upon the surface ; and in the kind of 

 opium formerly distinguished as Constantinople, the Rumex fruits 

 are generally entirely absent, the surface being covered with poppy 

 leaves only. When first imported, the interior is moist and coarsely 

 granular in appearance, and small shreds of the epicarp of the 

 poppy capsule are commonly to be observed in its substance ; the 

 colour is reddish or chesnut-brown. By keeping, the masses be- 

 come harder and blackish-brown, or even quite black if kept for 

 many years. The odour is strong, peculiar, narcotic, and unplea- 

 sant to most persons, although to others it is by no means disa- 

 greeable ; the taste is nauseously bitter. This is, as a rule, the 

 best kind of opium, yielding on an average a larger proportion of 

 morphia than any of the other kinds ; according to the British 

 Pharmacopoeia it should yield from six to eight per cent, at least. 



