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  XXII. 
  — 
  Researches 
  on 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  Crystalline 
  Constituents 
  of 
  Opium. 
  

   By 
  Thomas 
  Anderson, 
  M.D., 
  F.R.S.E. 
  

  

  (Read 
  5th 
  April 
  1852.) 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  year 
  1803, 
  when 
  Desrone 
  discovered 
  the 
  substance 
  which 
  afterwards 
  

   received 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Narcotine, 
  the 
  chemical 
  investigation 
  of 
  opium 
  has 
  engaged 
  

   the 
  attention 
  of 
  many 
  skilful 
  and 
  distinguished 
  chemists, 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  hands 
  has 
  

   proved 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  substances, 
  unprecedented 
  in 
  their 
  number 
  and 
  

   the 
  variety 
  of 
  their 
  properties. 
  Up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  de- 
  

   tected 
  in 
  it 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  eleven 
  different 
  substances,* 
  one 
  acid, 
  and 
  ten, 
  either 
  

   basic 
  or 
  indifferent, 
  all 
  presenting 
  definite 
  characters 
  and 
  crystalline 
  form, 
  besides 
  

   various 
  imperfectly 
  characterised 
  substances, 
  described 
  under 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  

   caoutchouc 
  of 
  opium, 
  resin 
  of 
  opium, 
  extractive, 
  and 
  the 
  like. 
  

  

  With 
  these 
  facts 
  before 
  us, 
  the 
  chemistry 
  of 
  opium 
  may 
  appear 
  at 
  first 
  sight 
  

   to 
  be 
  almost 
  exhausted, 
  and 
  that 
  little 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  done, 
  except 
  to 
  fill 
  up 
  the 
  

   minor 
  details 
  of 
  former 
  investigations. 
  But 
  when 
  we 
  come 
  to 
  inquire 
  more 
  

   minutely 
  into 
  its 
  history, 
  the 
  meagre 
  and 
  even 
  conflicting 
  statements 
  of 
  different 
  

   investigators, 
  sufficiently 
  indicate 
  the 
  imperfections 
  of 
  their 
  researches, 
  and 
  the 
  

   necessity 
  of 
  revising 
  and 
  greatly 
  extending 
  their 
  inquiries 
  before 
  our 
  knowledge 
  

   can 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  either 
  definite 
  or 
  satisfactory. 
  The 
  most 
  remarkable 
  con- 
  

   stituents 
  of 
  opium 
  were 
  detected 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  since, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  at- 
  

   tention 
  was 
  first 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  peculiar 
  constituents 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  

   active 
  properties 
  of 
  vegetables 
  depended 
  ; 
  and 
  since 
  their 
  discovery, 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  little 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  to 
  confirm 
  the 
  original 
  observations, 
  which 
  are 
  often 
  

   unsatisfactory, 
  and 
  serve 
  not 
  so 
  much 
  to 
  supply 
  definite 
  facts, 
  as 
  to 
  indicate 
  the 
  

   direction 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  sought 
  for. 
  

  

  Some 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  limited 
  extent 
  of 
  our 
  information 
  regarding 
  opium 
  

   may 
  be 
  formed 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  preparatory 
  statements 
  as 
  to 
  our 
  present 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   its 
  basic 
  and 
  indifferent 
  constituents, 
  amounting, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  already 
  mentioned, 
  

   to 
  ten 
  in 
  number. 
  Of 
  these, 
  four 
  have 
  been 
  repeatedly 
  examined 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  

   few 
  years, 
  and 
  their 
  constituents 
  may 
  now 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  conclusively 
  esta- 
  

   blished. 
  These 
  are: 
  — 
  

  

  * 
  Since 
  this 
  paper 
  was 
  written, 
  two 
  new 
  substances 
  have 
  been 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  

   constituents 
  of 
  opium 
  ; 
  these 
  are 
  methylonarcotine 
  and 
  propylonarcotine, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  recently 
  

   described 
  by 
  Wertheim. 
  

  

  VOL. 
  XX. 
  PART 
  III. 
  5 
  B 
  

  

  