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TITRATED  OPIUM  EXTRACT — SVAPNIA.  223 
presented  by  the  skill  and  preparatory  knowledge  and  the  long 
time  required,  was  too  obvious  to  make  its  introduction  into  the 
code  advisable.  Meanwhile,  the  aqueous  extract  of  opium  laud- 
anum of  Duhamel  and  Dupuy,  were  followed  by  the  elixir  of 
opium  of  the  writer,  (now  the  tinct.  opii  deodorata  of  the 
Pharmacopoeia).  The  almost  sole  fault  of  the  latter  preparation, 
beyond  its  expensiveness,  is  want  of  uniformity  arising  from  the 
variable  strength  of  opium. 
In  1860,  Dr.  E.  R.  Squibb,  in  an  elaborate  paper  published  in 
this  Journal,  introduces  his  liquor  opii  compositus,  which,  besides 
being  freed  from  the  objectionable  and  offensive  ingredients  of 
opium,  was  assayed  to  a  regulated  strength  of  four  grains  of 
morphia  per  fluidounce,  intended  to  represent  laudanum  made 
from  uniform  ten  per  cent,  opium,  so  far  as  the  morphia  strength 
was  concerned.  Unfortunately,  in  our  opinion.  Dr.  Squibb  in- 
troduced his  U.S. P.  Hoffman's  Anodyne  as  an  ingredient  to  the 
extent  of  one-eighth.  Whatever  advantage  this  might  add  in 
particular  cases,  it  must  be  evident  that,  as  a  substitute  for  opium 
and  morphia  and  to  be  used  in  various  forms  of  diseases,  its 
omission  would  have  simplified  the  preparation  and  rendered  it 
more  likely  to  be  adopted  into  permanent  use.  Battley's  sedative 
solution  may  also  be  classed  with  the  above  as  aiming  to  modify 
and  improve  the  anodyne  qualities  of  laudanum.  Quite  recently 
in  French  Pharmacy,  Mr.  Adrian  has  introduced  a  series  of 
preparations  based  on  titrated  or  assayed  opium  of  a  fixed  mor- 
phia strength. 
The  latest  of  these  suggestions  to  modify  opium  is  that  of 
Dr.  J.  M.  Bigelow,  of  Detroit,  which  he  called  ^'  purified  extract 
of  opium,"  and  which  quite  recently  has  been  taken  hold  of  by 
Frederick  Stearns,  of  Detroit,  as  a  business  operation,  substitu- 
ting the  word  "  svapnia  "  for  that  of  Dr.  Bigelow,  as  a  more 
promising  trade  mark.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  these  gentle- 
men, in  the  furtherance  of  a  perfectly  legitimate  improvement  in 
pharmacy,  should  have  felt  it  necessary  to  bow  to  the  spirit  of 
empyricism  so  rife  in  our  land,  in  order  to  secure  the  profits  of 
their  enterprize.  If  they  claimed  their  preparation  as  embody- 
ing a  new  and  valuable  alkaloid,  then  their  name  would  have 
been  quite  appropriate.    As  hinted  in  our  last  number,  we  have 
