401 
she remembers It ? in her time, as a great rarity. By means of a small hand¬ 
glass they are brought to great perfection; and Holland is at this time sup¬ 
plied with them from England. 
The Cauliflower has been, we know, introduced into Germany only a 
few years back. 
The Lettuce (Lactuca) from whose milk as good an opium may be ex¬ 
tracted, when just in flower, as from the poppy/ is like the Broccoli, probably 
* The thanks of the Society were voted to the Rev. Edmund Cartwright, of Mary-le-Bone, for 
the following communication upon the production of Opium from Lettuces. 
Sir, 
Having lately made a discovery which T have reason to think may in the event lead 
to consequences of importance, whether considered as an object of science connected with the medi¬ 
cal art, or of political economy in influencing an article of commerce, I feel it incumbent upon me 
to lay it before a Society with whose views it coincides, and to which, from a variety of personal 
motives, I am zealously attached. 
Happening, some time in the month of August last, to read an account of the process for obtain¬ 
ing Opium from Poppies, I was led to consider the very peculiar nature of the substance which con¬ 
stitutes that most powerful drug. 
On turning over the subject in my mind, the different varieties of the lactiferous plants naturally 
presented themselves to my recollection. From the uniformity which nature invariably observes in 
her operations, it seemed reasonable to conclude that the milky juice would, in regard to its prevail¬ 
ing property, be alike in all the different kinds of plants from which it is to be obtained; though 
perhaps more or less narcotic, and probably more or less deleterious, according to the specific quality 
of the particular plant which might yield it. 
There being at that time in my garden a bed of lettuces running to seed (in which state they are 
known to be more particularly lactiferous), I collected a small quantity of the milky jui e: and in a 
day or two, when it was sufficiently inspissated to admit of taking a solid form, I carried it, amount¬ 
ing to about six grains, to my friend Dr. George Pearson, requesting be would bring its properties, 
in any way he thought most satisfactory, to the test of experiment. The Doctor has since favoured 
me with the following letter on the subject. 
Dear Sir, 
According to your request, I have the pleasure of sending you an account of 
the effects of the dried milky juice of Lettuce-stalks, in the instance which fell under my observation. 
This instance was John Sheppv, aged nineteen years, who had been ill with what is called the chro¬ 
nic rheumatism about two months, so as to be confined to his chair and bed. He had regularly slept 
every night from about nine to twelve o’clock; had been uniformly awaked by considerable pains of 
his limbs, especially of the elbows, and passed the remainder of the night in a sleepless state. 
The sufferer had taken, for several nights preceding the exhibition of the dried Lettuce juice, a 
scruple in weight of Dover’s powder without any relief: and, in place of this medicine, I administered 
the six grains of dried Lettuce juice at nine o’clock. The consequence was, that in twenty minutes 
he fell asleep, and slept all night soundly till four in the morning, and a great part of the day follow¬ 
ing. The next night he also had but slight pain, till the third night, when as usual the paroxism of 
suffering returned at midnight. The day after the taking this medicine, the patient was affected with 
head-ache, and felt a little numbness. He had three evacuations by stool the day following. 
On the fourth night after the Lettuce juice had been given, he swallowed one grain of solid 
Opium, but without any subsequent relief. 
On the fifth night three grains of solid Opium were given, but still he had a recurrence of pain 
at nio-ht, and passed a restless night, although not so bad as usual; nor by a repetition of opium 
5 I 
