CAPSULJE PAPAYERIS. 41 



as Syroppo di Papaveri semplici di Mesne ; in the first pharmacopoeia 

 of the London College (1618), the medicine is prescribed as Symipus 

 de Meconio Mesiice. 



Description — The fruit is formed by the union of 8 to 20 carpels, 

 the edges of which are turned inwards and project like partitions 

 towards the interior, yet without reaching the centre, so that the fruit 

 is really one-celled. In the unripe fruit, the sutures of the carpels are 

 distinctly visible externally as shallow longitudinal stripes. 



The fruit is crowned with a circular disc, deeply cut into angular 

 ridge-like stigmas in number equal to the carpels, projecting in a stellate 

 manner with short obtuse lobes. Each carpel opens immediately below 

 the disc by a pore, out of which the seeds may be shaken ; but in some 

 varieties of poppy the carpel presents no aperture even when fully ripe. 

 The fruit is globular, sometimes flattened below, or it is ovoid ; it is 

 contracted beneath into a sort of neck immediately above a tumid ring 

 at its point of attachment with the stalk. Grown in rich moist ground 

 in England, it often attains a diameter of three inches, which is twice 

 that of the capsules of the opium poppy of Asia Minor or India. While 

 growing it is of a pale glaucous green, but at maturity becomes yel- 

 lowish brown, often marked with black spots. The outer wall of the 

 pericarp is smooth and hard ; the rest is of a loose texture, and while 

 green exudes on the slightest puncture an abundance of bitter milky 

 juice. The interior surface of the pericarp is rugose, and minutely and 

 beautifully striated transversely. From its sutures spring thin and 

 brittle placentae directed towards the centre and bearing on their per- 

 pendicular faces and edges a vast number of minute reniform seeds. 



The unripe fruit has a narcotic odour which is destroyed by drying ; 

 and its bitter taste is but partially retained. 



Microscopic Structure — The outer layer consists of a thin cuticle 

 exhibiting a large number of stomata ; the epidermis is formed of a row 

 of small thick-walled cells. Fragments of these two layers, which on 

 the whole exhibit no striking peculiarity, are always found in the resi- 

 due of opium after it has been exhausted by water. 



The most interesting part of the constituent tissues of the fruit is 

 the system of laticiferous vessels, which is of an extremely complicated 

 nature inasmuch as it is composed of various kinds of cells intimately 

 interlaced so as to form considerable bundles.^ The cells containing 

 the milky juice are larger but not so much branched as in many other 

 plants. 



Chemical Composition — The analyses of poppy heads present 

 discrepant results with regard to morphine. Merck and Winckler 

 detected it in the ripe fruit to the extent of 2 per cent., and it has also 

 been found by Groves (1854) and by Deschamps d'AvaUon (1864), 

 Other chemists have been unable to find it. 



In recent pharmacopoeias poppy heads are directed to be taken 

 previous to complete maturity, and both Meurein and Aubergier have 

 shown that in this state they are richer in morphine than when more 

 advanced. Deschamps d'AvaUon found them sometimes to contain 



^ For particulars see Trecul, Ann. des Cfrundlayen der Phartnaceutiachen Waaren- 

 Sciences Nat. v. (1866) 49 ; also Fluckiger, kunde, 1873. 45. 



