Observations and Experiments on Opium. 23 



and most of the aether may be saved, if prepared with care and 

 in a proper apparatus. Professor Hare recommends the 

 digestion of the opium in aether, to be performed in the 

 Papins digesters ; submit the opium thus treated to the ac- 

 tion of spt. vin. Rect. eight ounces, acid acetic pur. one 

 ounce,* aquae seven ounces, and digest for seven days, filter 

 and evaporate in a water bath to the consistence of an ex- 

 tract ; this in fact will be an impure acetate of morphia, pos- 

 sessing most of the advantages of that valuable medicine. 

 One ounce of the best Turkey opium yielded by this process 

 six ounces of extract. Laudanum and other preparations 

 may be made of the usual standard, calculating six ounces 

 of the extract equivalent to one ounce of opium. 



Denarcotized acidulous tincture of opium. 



Digest one ounce of coarsely powdered opium in one pint 

 of sulphuric aether specific gravity .735, for ten days, occa- 

 sionally submitting it to the influence of a moderate heat, 

 until it ceases to act upon the opium, separate the opium and 

 dry it, then digest in spt. vin., rect. eight ounces, acid 

 acetic fort, two ounces, aquae three ounces, for seven days and 

 filter. This preparation will be found to possess great ad- 

 vantages over laudanum, and the black drop of the shops, 

 to which it will be much preferred, inasmuch as it will be de- 

 prived of the stimulating principle (narcotine) which produ- 

 ces such distressing effects, and frequently prevents the ad- 

 ministration of opium, where it might otherwise be extremelv 

 useful ; the addition of acetic acid will contribute much to 

 increase the calming or sedative effects which are most gen- 

 erally desired, and for which opium is particularly given. 

 By its union with morphia, it forms in solution the active se- 

 dative salt of opium, (acetate of morphia,) and differs only 

 from the solution of the acetate of morphia of the shops in 

 its state of purity, and as the extraneous matter with which 

 it is associated has no effect on the animal system, it may be 

 considered as good an article, and should be preferred for 

 general use in consequence of being much less expensive. 

 As this preparation will always possess uniform strength, and 

 a like proportion of opium, it certainly deserves a conspicu- 

 ous place among our pharmaceutical preparations, and is 

 justly entitled to supersede, entirely, the common black drop 



* Acid pyrolig-neous, pure. 



