VARIETIES 467 



The several varieties of which the most notable are 

 Turkey, East Indian, and Egyptian, owe their character- 

 istics to differences in soil and climate, and also to the 

 time and manner of collecting and making up the juice. 

 Any suitable variety of opium may be employed as a 

 source of tincture of opium and extract of opium of the 

 respective alkaloidal strengths, provided that when dry it 

 contains not less than 7| per cent, of anhydrous morphine ; 

 but when otherwise used for officially recognised purposes, 

 opium must be of such a strength that, when dried and 

 powdered, it shall yield not less than 9-5 to 10'5 per cent, 

 of morphine (B.P.). 



Turkey or Smyrna opium, mostly of fine quality, and 

 highly prized in the English market, is chiefly collected in 

 the north-western districts of Asia Minor. It occurs in 

 round, flattened pieces, usually weighing from half a 

 pound to two pounds, covered with poppy leaves and the 

 chaffy seeds of the rumex. It is soft, moist, and ductile, 

 and when minutely examined is seen to be made up 

 of small tears. Its odour is peculiar, but not disagree- 

 able ; its taste bitter ; its recent fracture pale liver-brown. 

 It readily yields its active principles to water, forming 

 a red-brown solution, and to alcohol of all strengths, 

 forming darker -coloured tinctures. Good samples in 

 a fresh state contain an average of 10 per cent, of 

 morphine. 



East Indian opium, a large proportion of which is imported 

 to China, is of uniform and good quality. 



Egyptian opium, being generally grown on moist soils 

 and collected before the capsules are ripe, is inferior to 

 the best Turkey opium, and contains on an average about 

 6 per cent, of morphine. 



CHARACTERS. Opium occurs in irregular, red-brown or 

 red-black masses, which weigh from four ounces to two 

 pounds, when fresh, plastic, and internally moist, coarsely 

 granular or nearly smooth, and reddish- or chestnut-brown, 

 but becoming harder on keeping, and darkening to blackish 

 brown (B.P.). Odour strong and characteristic ; taste 

 bitter, persistent, and disagreeable. Turkey opium, recently 

 imported, contains 10 to 15 per cent, of water, and is moist 



