THE  ZIRCONIA  LIGHT. 
163 
of  liq.  opii  sed.,  and  that  the  odor  and  taste  of  the  liquid  had 
sensibly  improved.  It  was  therefore  tried  again  as  to  its  crjs- 
tallographic  character,  and  it  was  found  that  the  resinous  pre- 
cipitation on  the  bottle  had  freed  the  crystalline  bodies  from  an 
impediment  that  had  hitherto  obstructed  their  assuming  definite 
forms  ;  the  microscope  crystallization  was,  in  fact,  as  good  as 
could  be  desired,  but  the  liquor  having  been  reduced  to  the 
strength  of  laudanum  before  being  put  away,  the  crystals  were 
only  about  half  as  numerous  as  in  the  case  of  the  genuine 
Battley. 
The  formula  I  recommend  for  a  liquor  opii  of  the  same 
strength  as  tinct.  opii,  B.P.,  is  as  follows  : — 
Take  of  powdered  opium  IJ  oz. 
Prepared  chalk     .....      J  oz. 
Rectified  spirits    .    .    .    .    .    5  fl.  oz. 
Distilled  water  q.  s. 
Boil  gently  for  half  an  hour  the  opium  and  chalk  with  one 
pint  of  distilled  water  ;  filter ;  wash  up  to  fifteen  ounces,  and 
add  the  spirit.  After  a  few  days'  repose,  filter  again.  It 
improves  much  by  being  kept.  Of  course,  the  finer  the  opium, 
the  better  the  liquor. 
Should  the  narcotina  be  thought  worth  recovering,  the  opium 
may  be  boiled  with  water  alone,  and  the  chalk  subsequently 
added.  The  narcotina  may  be  easily  extracted  from  the  dried 
chalk  by  boiling  it  with  rectified  spirit. 
The  physiological  action  of  this  preparation  has  been  com- 
pared with  that  of  opium.  It  has  been  found  to  produce  the 
narcotic  effects  of  that  drug,  without  entailing  the  unpleasant 
after-effects  so  often  complained  of.  I  must  explain  that  my 
Liq.  Opii  is  not  designed  as  a  substitute  for  Battley's  prepara- 
tion, which  I  invariably  use  when  liq.  opii  sed.  is  ordered.  It 
may  be  regarded  as  a  suggested  improvement  of  ext.  opii 
liq.,  B.P. — Lond.  Pharm.  Journ.^  Jan.^  1869. 
THE  ZIRCONIA  LIGHT. 
Messrs  Tessid  du  Motay  and  Co.,  have  patented  an  invention 
for  improvements  in  preparing  zirconia,  and  the  employment  of 
