SS* Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



narcotine ; and Robiquet has informed us, that by digestion in aether, 

 the drug may be depurated of that noxious principle. It struck 

 me, as soon as I became acquainted with the statement of Robiquet, 

 that it was of the utmost importance to humanity to have it tested, 

 and tiie result made known to my countrymen, if favourable. 



Some opium, shaved by rubbing it on the face of a jack plane, 

 was subjected four times successively to as much sether of the spe- 

 cific gravity of -T'JS as would cover it, allowing each portion to act 

 upon it for about twenty-four hours. 



The opium was afterwards subjected to as much duly diluted al- 

 cohol as would have been adequate to convert it into laudanum, of 

 the common kind, had it not been subjected to the aether. In the 

 aether which had been digested on the opium, a deposition of crystal- 

 line matter soon commenced. The stopple being removed, and the 

 mouth of the containing vessel, (in this case a common French 

 tincture bottle,) being covered with blotting paper, in a few days 

 nearly the whole of the liquid evaporated spontaneously, leaving 

 much crystalline matter mixed with colouring matter. The former 

 is, no doubt, the principle distinguished by Robiquet, since called 

 narcotine. 



The digestion of the opium with the setlier is conveniently per- 

 formed in the Papin's digesters, which are sold at some of the hard- 

 ware stores in this city. 



The sether should be kept near the temperature of ebullition. 



The first use which was made of the denarcotized laudanum, was 

 by way of an enema of thirty drops, in the case of a child tortured 

 by ascarides, to whom it gave early relief, inducing a comfortable, 

 and apparently natural sleep, and causing subsequently no unplea- 

 sant symptoms. The second instance was a case of severe head- 

 ache, which was relieved in about thirty minutes, by ten drops taken 

 into the stomach. A refreshing slumber succeeded, which was not 

 followed by any of the distressing sensations to which the patient 

 has always been subjected, after taking common laudanum. 



Dr. Hare then subjoins some cases of the successful exhibition 

 of denarcotized laudanum, by a medical friend. 



ON THE OCCURRENCE OF GALENA IN THE INFERIOR OOLITE : 

 BY 3IR. W. LONSDALE. 



In widening the road between Frome and Buckland Denham in 

 the autumn of last year, the workmen laid open a section about 

 fourteen feet deep in the inferior oolite. The stone was broken in situ 

 into irregular fragments, which in some instances were parted by a 

 mere fissure, and in others were separated to the distance of six or 

 eight inches. Near the centre of the section occurred a perpendi- 

 cular vein six feet wide, of a stiff blue clay. From some distance 

 on each side of this vein, small strings of galena appeared ramifying 

 through the interstices of the stone, occasionally filling them en- 

 tirely, and then exhibiting the appearance of a breccia of oolite 

 cemented by lead ; but most commonly crystallized carbonate of 

 lime supplied the place of the ore. Specks of galena were likewise 



disseminated 



