PREPARATION OP NARCOTIC EXTRACTS. 251 
bed through a coarse horse-hair sieve. The very finest 
powder is separated and rejected. 
The coarse powder thus obtained I place in a glass fun- 
nel of a certain capacity, the neck of which is partially ob- 
structed by cotton loosely thrust into it, and on the top a 
piece of white filtering paper covered with a layer of sand, 
which has previously been purified with hydrochloric acid 
and well washed ; this I also well wash after each opera- 
tion, and dry and preserve for further use. The funnel 
holds exactly 4 oz. of coarsely-powdered Hyoscyamus. 
When it is thus arranged, I gradually pour on it spirits of 
wine of spec. grav. 0.950, in such proportion that the pow- 
. der is penetrated by it to half the depth of the funnel. I 
now desist, and find in about half an hour the spirit has 
penetrated the powder throughout the whole depth of the 
funnel, and an alcoholic extract of a dark green color be- 
gins to drop into a glass vessel placed beneath. 
When the dropping begins to slacken, I commence add- 
ing small portions of spirits of wine, about h an oz. every 
quarter of an hour. If I commence the operation at 9 A. M., 
I can progress so far that by the evening I have added the 
last portion of the spirit, using IS oz. of spirit in all. I now 
cover the funnel with a glass plate, and commence the next 
morning adding pure water in successive small quantities 
of an ounces in the same manner as with the spirit. This 
is continued until the drops are no longer green but brown, 
that is, until all the alcoholic extract is displaced by the 
water, and the watery extract begins to fall from the fun- 
nel. When this takes place, the receiver containing the 
spirituous extract is removed and well covered, and re- 
placed by an empty one. The alcoholic solution in the 
glass removed is of a remarkably fine green color, with the 
well-known repulsive odor of Hyoscyamus. The treatment 
with the water is persevered in during the day in the same 
manner as with the alcohol, until the dropping fluid be- 
comes transparent ; I now once more add water ; it is then 
