Lnclucarium, or Lettuce Opium. 87 



ducing: sleep. "When protracted watchfulness is produced by a 

 powerful stimulus, it is well known, that from the proper use of 

 opium sleep may be obtained, though the stimulating cause still 

 conlinues to act, as is often exemplified in tooth- ache. 



But notwithstanding the high opinion I have of opium, I am 

 still far from considering it as free from objection in every case. 

 There are human constitutions, with which, from its peculiar 

 rarcotic power, it never can be employed with advantage. Of 

 this I had occasion, many years ago, to witness a most deplora- 

 l.le example, in the case of my own father. For many years he 

 laboured under a highly painful disease, a cancerous affection. 

 Opium had with him, as with most others, the effect of pro- 

 ducing a temporary alleviation of pain and some sleep. But no 

 sooner were these consequences ended, than some of its narcotic 

 effects, particularly sickness at stomach and vomiting, were highly 

 distressing to him. And after trying it in every form, and in 

 combination with every corrigent with which I am acquainted, 

 1 was obliged entirely to desert its use, though urgently re- 

 quired. 



Cases of a similar nature are by no means rare ; and in such 

 habits, a good substitute for opium, where the alleviation of pain, 

 or the induction of sleep, is required, is certainly of very great 

 importance in the practice of medicine. Of all the substitutes 

 that I have ever employed, hyoscyamus, conium, humulus, &c. 

 J have found the Laclucaruim or Lettuce-opium to be decidedly 

 the best. While it possesses much of the sedative power of 

 opium from the Papaver, it seems to be almost entirely free from 

 its narcotic influence. It is, therefore, a matter of very great 

 importance in the practice of medicine, that the shops of every 

 apothecary should be supplied with genuine Lactucarium. With 

 that view, every country apothecary should, I think, have it pre- 

 pared in his own garden, which would effectually prevent all 

 adulteration ; and, according to the plan communicated by Mr. 

 ^'oung to the Horticultural Society, it may, with great ease, be 

 prepared in any garden in Britain : while every apothecary in 

 Britain, whose residence is not in a very large town, ought, in 

 my opinion, to cultivate a garden for supplying both bis kitchen 

 and his shop. Although now far advanced in life, in the seventy- 

 seventh year of my age, I flatter myself with the hope, that I 

 may yet live to see Luviucariiwi find a place in the Fharmaco- 

 pacias of other colleges, as it has already done in that of the 

 Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. And that in the cure 

 or alleviation of disease, others may obtain from it the same 

 benefit that I have done, is the earnest wish of 



A. Duncan Sen. 



XIV. On 



