OPHIR 



4391 



OPIUM 



image into the eye, so that the object is seen 

 upright and larger than it is, instead of inverted 

 as in most telescopes. An excellent glass for 



FORMATION OF THE IMAGE 

 AB is the object ; o, the double-convex lens ; ab, 

 th- refh-ctinn of the object ; e, the double-concave 

 i eyepiece. 



use in the theater may be purchased for five 

 dollars. See FIELD GLASS; TELESCOPE. 



OPHIR, o'jer, an ancient region, probably in 

 Southern Arabia, famed for the abundance and 

 fineness of its gold. It is related in / Kings 

 IX-X that Solomon built ships for commerce 

 with Ophir, which brought him gold, silver, 

 B, ivory, apes and peacocks, and in Psalm 

 XI.V, doubtless composed in his praise, are the 

 lines: 



Kings' daughters were among thy honorable 



women : 

 Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold 



of Ophir. 



OPHTHALMOSCOPE, of thal'moskohp, an 

 instrument for examining the interior of the 

 eye, consists of a concave mirror from one to 

 three inches in diameter, with a small opening 

 and a magnifying lens through which the ob- 

 server looks. When a bright light is placed 

 close to and at one side of the patient's head, 

 the light is reflected by the mirror directly 

 into the pupil of the eye, and the observer can 

 see a magnified image of the structure. If tin- 

 eye is in a healthful condition it will appear 

 bright red or orange, lined with a network of 

 darker nerves and blood vessels. The instru- 

 ment is employed also to discover symptoms of 

 -I it's disease, and of brain and spinal 

 troubles. 



It was invented in 1847 by Charles Babbage, 

 but its value was not at first realized. In 1851, 

 it was improved by Professor Helmholtz. 



O'PIUM, from a Greek word meaning little 



. i- tli. dn d juice of a species of poppy 

 v. lii'-h urows best in tropical countries, espe- 

 ( -i ally HI India and China. From it is obtained 



Inch see), one of the most impor- 

 tant dnms in medicine. Opium has a hitt.r. 

 nauseous taste and a peculiar odor, and pos- 

 sesses the power to cause deep sleep and in- 

 sensibility to pain. \\h. n taken in Miiall <pian- 



- it .-nmul it - the brain and marshals all 

 sorts of weird fancies, but the effect soon dis- 

 appears. In a month, a craving for it. l.k 



craving for alcohol, is formed. It is usually 

 eaten or smoked. 



The seeds of th^ plant are sown in Novem- 

 ber, the flowers appear in January, and soon 

 after the green seed poda are pricked so that 

 the thick white juice may ooze out. This sap 

 is collected, dried and nade into little brown- 

 ish-red pellets, which are packed in chests. 



The Canadian government restricts the im- 

 portation of opium by levying heavy customs 

 duties, and entirely prohibits powdered opium 

 prepared for smoking. The distribution of tin- 

 drug in the United States and in all its out- 

 lying possessions is regulated by a law carry- 

 ing heavy penalties for its violation, which 

 went into effect March 1, 1915. 



Opium War. Opium was introduced in China 

 in the thirteenth century by Arabs, and was 

 first used as medicine. By tho seventeenth 

 century the habit of opium smoking h*d fas- 

 tened itself on the people. The Empero*" Yung 



THE OPIUM POP rv 



lllpe capsule; (6) cross section of capsule. 

 seed. 



Cheng issued an edi.-t m 1729 forbidding it> 

 importation from India, but it was smuggled 

 into the country. Accordingly, in 1839, the 

 Emperor Tao-Kwang sent a man to Canton to 

 put a stop to the smuggling. Ho destroyed 

 a shipload of opium worth in American money 



