474 



1867. 



Labours. 



Longings 

 after leisure. 



PROFESSOR GUIBOURT. 



sample yielded 18 '24 per cent, from soft, or 21*46 from the opium 

 when dried. The mean of the analyses showed a percentage in 

 morphia of 12 '37 from soft opium or 1472 from dried. The 

 most productive opium examined was some collected at Puche- 

 villers in the department of the Somme, which when deprived 

 of moisture, afforded no less than 22 -88 per cent, of morphia. 

 M. Guibourt's essay concludes with the recommendation that 

 opium for use in medicine should contain from a minimum per- 

 centage of 10'20 to a maximum of 12*75 of morphia, or when 

 dried from 12 to 15 per cent. 1 



But earnest and constant as were M. Guibourt's labours for 

 the advancement of scientific pharmacy, he was by no means 

 satisfied with the amount of time he could devote to his 

 favourite pursuits, as may be gathered from the following lines, 

 part of a letter written in 1860 to a friend in London :".... 

 Pour moi, je n'ai plus le terns de rien faire ; je rencontre & 

 chaque instant des sujets d'etude qui me'riteraient un long 

 ex amen ; j'y jette un regard curieux et je les abandonne faute 

 de pouvoir continuer. J'aspire au moment ou je pourrai 

 me libe*rer des occupations qui me sont imposees par 1'Ecole 

 de Pharmacie ; mais quand ce moment arrivera, me restera-t-il 

 assez d'activite* et d'aptitude pour me remettre aux eludes 

 commence'es ? " 



A careful, judicious, elaborate style of research, embracing a 

 subject under all its aspects, and a style of writing remarkable 

 for precision, gravity and elegance characterized M. Guibourt's 

 labours, and will render his works of permanent value. 



1 The new French Codex requires that soft Smyrna opium should contain 

 at least 10 per cent, of morphia. 





