408 
ON  TINCTURA  OPII. 
to  be  quite  mobile,  having  lost  that  adhesiveness  which  they  con- 
tinue to  retain  after  being  treated  with  diluted  alcohol. 
To  those  who  wish  to  use  the  lump  opium,  which  I  presume  is 
the  form  in  which  the  drug  is  most  generally  employed  for  mak- 
ing the  tincture,  I  would  recommend  the  following  mode  of 
treatment : 
Cut  the  opium  into  small  pieces,  pour  upon  it,  in  a  pan,  the 
hot  water,  work  and  knead  it  well  with  the  hands,  until  it  is 
thoroughly  disintegrated  and  softened,  then  macerate  and  ex- 
press as  directed  in  the  formula  above.  Pour  upon  the  residue 
the  alcohol,  and  having  worked  it  w^ith  the  hands  for  a  few 
minutes,  transfer  the  mixture  to  a  bottle  and  continue  the  ma- 
ceration, and  finish  the  process  as  directed  above. 
The  outer  portions  of  lump  opium  are  usually  dry  and  hard, 
which  yield  and  soften  with  much  difficulty,  even  when  immersed 
for  a  considerable  length  of  time  in  hot  water.  Therefore,  in 
making  the  tincture,  if  after  kneading  the  opium  well  with  the 
hands  there  should  still  remain  any  hard  and  unbroken  portions, 
the  whole  should  be  collected  in  the  hand  and  expressed,  then 
beat  well  in  a  mortar  until  all  lumps  are  broken  down  and  the 
mass  becomes  uniform. 
Making  the  tincture  from  undried  lump  opium  is  of  doubtful 
propriety,  and  by  some  may  be  considered  an  unwarrantable  de- 
parture from  the  Pharmacopoeia.  But  it  is  nevertheless  done, 
and,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  I  believe  it  is  the  usual  practice  of  a 
great  majority  of  apothecaries.  Of  course  all  conscientious 
pharmacists  make  due  allowance,  as  nearly  as  they  can  approxi- 
mate, for  the  moisture  usually  present  in  opium,  which,  however, 
is  very  variable,  as  the  drug  is  found  in  the  market.  This  plan, 
although  it  might  be  admissible  without  serious  detriment,  when 
the  tincture  is  intended  for  the  ordinary  retail  sales,  but  when 
designed  for  prescription  purposes  it  could  not  be  tolerated,  for 
it  is  impossible,  without  drying,  to  ascertain  precisely  the  amount 
of  water  contained  in  any  sample  of  opium.  The  tincture  would 
therefore  be  of  uncertain  strength,  the  uniformity  of  which  is  so 
essential  in  so  potent,  useful  and  important  a  preparation  as  this. 
Philadelphia,  August,  1869. 
