OPIUM. 381 



in nature. There are several varieties of opium : Turkey^ 

 Egyptian, East Indian, Persian, and European opium. 

 The medical preparations of opium are several : 



Morphia, or morphine, is the most important preparation 

 of opium, and sold in the drug stores in the form of white 

 crystals, as also in that of a liquid — liquor morphia acetas, 

 and liquor morphia sulphas. Either of these preparations 

 of opium are much better medicines than the crude opium 

 itself. Each fluid ounce contains one grain of the mor- 

 phine, or the true principle of the opium, and one grain of 

 morphine is equal to three grains of opium, or to forty- 

 five drops of the tincture of opium, commonly called 

 laudanum. 



Use. Opium is a narcotic, or reliever of pain, and is 

 especially recommended in milk fever in cows. 



Dose. The dose of the acetate, sulphate, or muriate, in 

 crystals, for the horse, is from twenty to forty grains. For 

 the cow with milk fever, from forty to eighty grains. To 

 a medical man, such large doses may seem enormous, for 

 in man the dose is from half to one grain. 



Horses will scarcely show the least effects from the 

 administration of from two to four drachms of the pow- 

 dered opium. On cattle, opium has even much less power 

 than on horses. Cows can take one ounce, and sheep half 

 a drachm of powdered opium, without suffering. The 

 doses of crude, or powdered opium for horses, are from 

 one to two drachms, and for cattle, two to four drachms. 

 In veterinary practice^ opium is not now so much used, as 

 aconite answers almost every purpose for which opium was 

 given, and without in any way binding the bowels. But 

 in case of milk fever, opium, or its alkaloid morphia, is 

 well worthy of a trial, and if taken in time, Mall scarcely 

 disappoint any one. 



