ai 
Narcotine, and Sulphate of Morphine. 39 
- 
Arr. Il]. —Results of Experiments and Observations on N ARCOTINE, 
and SupHate or Morruie ;* by Wittaam Tuxty, M.D. Pro- 
fessor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics in the Medical Institu- 
tion of Yale College. 
Iv is now many years since the discovery of that proximate prin- 
ciple of Opium, commonly called Narcotine, and even a consider- 
able number since it has been known to be capable, in certain doses, 
of destroying brute animals, with the phenomena usually produced 
Y a narcotic ; and yet, I have no knowledge of any experiments or 
observations, hitherto, that can be considered as contributing much, 
if indeed any thing, towards the determination of its medicinal pow- 
€ts upon the human subject. As far as I know, most of the late 
Writers upon Materia medica have concurred in ascribing all the 
remedial Properties of Opium, to some salt of Morphine, (another 
proximate principle of this drug) although it is admitted that Opium 
contains only about seven per centum of Morphine, and that a given 
quantity of Morphine is very far from being fifteen times as active as 
€ same quantity of Opium, which ought to be the fact, were Mor- 
Phine its sole medicinal principle. According to the best observa- 
lions, a given quantity of Morphine, instead of possessing fifteen 
times the activity of the same quantity of Opium, can at most, be 
Considered ag Possessing only about four times the activity, and per- 
aps there is room for just doubt, whether there is even as much 
difference as this. Now it cannot be reasonably supposed that as 
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(ine in English,) of the names of the vegetable salifiable bases, must be retained by 
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tion in ina is retain It was to be hoped that the responsibility of a useless 
» ifadopted, would endanger so many lives, would 
‘sumed by any Practitioner of medicine. 
