238 
BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
complete absence of resinous matter and narceine. Any one who has studied 
the microscopic characters of this preparation will readily understand how it 
lias kept its place with the profession in spite of the cheap imitations which 
have been so largely pulled as substitutes for it. We have necessarily thought 
much as to its probable mode of preparation, and cannot see any reason to 
doubt the statemant made by Dr. Pereira, on the authority of the late Mr. 
Battley himself, that spirit and water were the only materials used in its prepa¬ 
ration from Turkey opium. Dr. Christison discredits the statement, on the 
ground of the comparative absence of meconic acid ; but, as we have before 
said, boiling water is sufficient to decompose that acid, and therefore the ar¬ 
gument is not a valid one. Though we have experimented much with a view to 
preparing a similar liquor, we have not yet arrived at an identical result. 
Plate III. fig. 2 a and b, shows two preparations with similar, perhaps nearly 
equal, sedative properties to the original fluid; but it will be seen they both 
differ considerably in the crystalline matters they contain. It is perhaps only 
justice to say that the preparation which gives results most nearly like 
Battley’s of any which we have had opportunity of testing is that made by 
Mr. Morson, of London (Plate III. fig. 3). Of three other makes which we 
have examined, one (Plate III. fig. 5) is largely charged with resinous matter, 
and the proportion of crystalline constituents is so minute that we are satis¬ 
fied its activity must be very small; another (Plate III. fig. 4) gives a few 
morphine crystals, a good deal of narcotine, and more narceine; a third 
(Plate III. fig. 6) is chiefly remarkable for its lack of everything crystalline. 
There are certain preparations, to which we must next allude, which give little 
or no evidence as to the active matters they hold in solution by crystallization 
on evaporation. As examples, we may instance Vinum Opii, amongst officinal, 
and Braithwaite’s black drop, Nepenthe, and a fluid sold as “ Solution of Bi- 
meconate of Morphia,” amongst proprietary formula?. That there should be 
exceptional cases in which the reaction to a certain peculiar set of tests 
is doubtful, is only what might have been expected, and it can scarcely be 
regarded as a weak point in their application. Scarcely any chemical test we 
use but is open to some contingency of the same sort, but as long as we know 
the conditions of uncertainty it is no drawback to its employment; it onl} r 
becomes necessary that these conditions should be investigated, and compari¬ 
son becomes easy. 
We have found that when opium is exhausted, the liquor evaporated to an 
extract, and this extract redissolved in alcohol, that the tendency to crystallize 
is very much lessened or entirely destroyed. The cause of this w r e are net yet 
able to explain with certainty, but may state the fact as one which we have 
noticed in relation to every sort of opium we have w r orked upon. It will ac¬ 
count for the very sparing indications of crystalline principles from all pre¬ 
parations made by redissolving in alcohol a once-formed extract. The residue 
not taken up by alcohol in the experiment is readily soluble in water, and 
contains certain crystalline matters, which w r e have not j 7 et examined suffi¬ 
ciently to report upon. Again, the subacid viscid matter left on evaporating 
wine prevents crystallization, consequently Vinum Opii gives a clear non- 
crystalline extract; we believe this also to be the reason why one of the pro¬ 
prietary preparations named yields the same result, as it seeni3 to us to be a 
mere solution of morphine or one of its salts in wine, and not to be made 
direct from opium. The well known “ black drop ” gives no crystals upon 
evaporation, but in their place a peculiar deposit, consisting of an amorphous, 
almost opaque faeculence. This is probably owing, in great measure, to viscid 
matter held in solution, which on evaporation becomes insoluble through some- 
change and is precipitated, carrying down with it the active matter. We 
know too little of the solvent employed to speak very positively, but if the 
