OPIUM. 
§§ 349-351 •] 
in the Lancet of January 13, 1894. 1 The patient, a woman, 42 years of ago, of 
alcoholic tendencies, swallowed, 13th December 1893, at 1.40 p.m., about 3 ounces of 
marking-ink, the greatest part of which consisted of aniline ; in a very little while 
she became unconscious, and remained so until death. At 3 p.m. her lips were of a 
dark purple, the general surface of the skin was deadly white, with a slight bluish 
tinge ; the pupils were small and sluggish, the breathing stertorous, and the pulse 
full and slow—60 per minute. The stomach was washed out, ether injected, and 
oxygen administered, but the patient died comatose almost exactly twelve hours after 
the poison had been taken. 
The post-mortem examination showed slight congestion of the lungs ; the heart 
was relaxed in all its chambers, and empty of blood—it had a peculiar green-blue 
appearance. All the organs were healthy. The blood was not spectroscopically 
examined. 
§ 349. Fatal Dose. —This is not known, but an adult would probably be killed 
by a single dose of anything over 6 grms. Recovery under treatment has been known 
after 10 grms. ; the fatal dose for rabbits is 1-1-5 grm., for dogs 3-5 grms. 
§ 350. Detection of Aniline. —Aniline is easily separated and detected. Organic 
fluids are alkalised by a solution of potash, and distilled. The organs, finely divided, 
are extracted with water acidulated with sulphuric acid, the fluid filtered, and then 
alkalised and distilled. The distillate is shaken up with ether, the ether separated 
and allowed to evaporate spontaneously. Any aniline will be in the residue left after 
evaporation of the ether, and may be identified by the following tests :—An aqueous 
solution of aniline or its salts is coloured blue by a little chloride of lime or hypo¬ 
chlorite of soda ; later on the mixture becomes red. The blue colour has an absorp¬ 
tion band, when examined spectroscopically, extending from W.L. 656 to 560, and 
therefore in the red and yellow from Fraunhofer’s line C, and overlapping D. Another 
test for aniline is the addition of kairine, hydrochloric acid, and sodium nitrite, which 
strikes a blue colour. 
III.—The Opium Group of Alkaloids. 
§ 351. General Composition. —Opium contains a larger number of 
basic substances than any plant juice known. The list reaches at present 
to some 21 nitrogenised bases, and almost each year there have been 
additions. Opium is a gummy mass, consisting of the juice of the 
incised unripe fruit of the Papaver somniferum hardened in the air. 
The following is a nearly complete list of the constituents which have 
been found in opium :— 
Alkaloids. — I. The Morphine Group. Very poisonous (except Pseudomorphino). 
Morphine, C 17 H 19 N0 3 . Pseudomorphine, (C 17 H 18 N0 8 ) 2 . 
Codeine, C 18 H 21 N0 3 . Thebaine, C 19 H 21 N0 3 . 
II. The Papaverine Group. 
Papaverine, C 20 H 21 NO 4 . 
Codamine, 
Laudanine, C 20 H 25 NO 4 . 
Laudanidine, C 20 H 25 NO 4 . 
Laudanosine, C 21 H 27 N0 4 . 
Tritopine, (C 21 H 27 N0 3 ) 2 0 
Meconidine, C 21 H 23 N0 4 . 
Lanthopine, C 23 H 26 N0 4 . 
Protopine, C 20 H 19 NO c . 
Cryptopine, C 21 H 23 N0 5 . 
Papaveramine, C 21 H 25 NO<}. 
Narcotine, C 22 H 23 N0 7 . 
Gnoscopine, C 22 H 23 N0 7 . 
Oxynarcotine, C 22 H 23 N0 8 . 
Narceine, C 23 H 27 N0 8 . 
Hydrocotarnine, C 12 H 15 N0 3 . 
Xanthaline, C 20 H 19 NO 6 . 
1 See also a case reported by K. Dehio, in which a person drank 10 grms. and 
recovered. Ber. klin. Wochen., 1888, Nr. 1. 
