On opium. 



595 



The colour of the fokition A. was however much deeper than 

 that of B. and fucceeding experiments convhiced me that 

 the quantity of extraElive matter in the lettuce opium, is 

 confiderably greater than in the common. By the aid of 

 my ingenious and worthy friend Dr. Cooper, of this city, 

 1 obtained a larger quantity of the lettuce opium, with 

 which I was enabled to make the following. 



LETTUCE OPIUM. 



£xFf.RIMEKT 3. 



Auguft 14th. I put 20 g;rains of 

 if^is opium thoroughly dried, into tivo 

 ounces of filtered rain water, in the 

 vial A. and after repeated agitations, 

 I filtered it on tlie 18th. When dried, 

 there were left on the filtre, i o grains, 

 fo that one half, was pretty accurately 

 held in folution. The filtered folution 

 was of a dark brown colour, poiTeff- 

 ing much of the tafte andfmell oi opi- 

 um. 



COMMON OPIUM. 



Experiment 4. 



Auguft I9tli. I put 20 grains of 

 covtmon opium into a fimilar quantity 

 of rain water in the vial B. On the 

 24th, I filtered it after frequent agi- 

 tations. There remained on the fil- 

 tre, when dried, grains 11, which 

 confequently leaves but 9 twentieths, 

 dilfolvedby the water. The filtered 

 folution was not nearly of fo deep .1 

 colour, as that of A. 



To both of thefe folutions I added about a drachm of 

 alkohol, to prevent putrefaftion. 



LETTUCE OPIUM. 



Experiment 5. 



Auguft 19th. I put the 10 grains 

 remaining on the filtre of A. (experi- 

 ment 3 . ) into an half ounce of alko- 

 hol. I filtered it en the 29th, and 

 found 7 grains left on the filtre, which 

 v.'hen wafhcd and dried, was devoid 

 of tafte or fmel!. The quantity of 

 refinous matter then was 3 gTains, or 

 rather more than one yth of the whole 

 Kiafs. 



COMMON OPIUM. 



Experiment 6. 



Auguft 26th. I put the 1 1 grains 

 remaining on the filtre of B. (experi- 

 ment 4 .) into the fame quantity of al- 

 kohol. I filtered it on die 29th, and 

 found 8 grains left on the filtre; de- 

 void of tafte and fmell, when wafhed 

 and dried. Here then the propor- 

 tions agree. 



The colour of ^/j/V folution in alko- 

 hol was much deeper tlian diat of ex- 

 periment 5 . 



3 F 2 



Neither 



