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Starch  and  Strontium  in  Opium.  { 
By  this  process  there  is  estimated  as  starch,  the  pentosans'  and 
other  carbohydrate  bodies,  which  will  undergo  hydrolysis  when 
boiled  with  hydrochloric  acid.  We  have  reasons  for  thinking  that 
starch  estimations  made  in  plant  analysis  by  means  of  hydrochloric 
acid  are  frequently  wide  from  the  truth. 
Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  general  microscopical  appear- 
ance of  the  opium.  On  clarifying  some  opium  with  chloral  hydrate 
the  structure  of  the  pericarp  of  the  poppy  was  clearly  brought 
out,  as  shown  in  Fig.  1.  In  the  same  clarified  material  were 
found  scalariform  and  spiral  vessels.     An  abundance  of  calcium 
oxalate  crystals  and  some  wheat  brand  were  found  in  several  cases. 
Leafy  epidermal  tissue  was  also  abundant  on  every  slide,  Fig.  2. 
The  starch  was  brought  out  by  the  usual  iodine  reaction,  Fig.  3. 
All  these  substances  that  do  not  increase  the  yield  of  morphine, 
by  our  present  methods  of  assay,  must,  in  our  opinion,  be  considered 
Fig.  2.    Epidermal  tissue  of  leaf,  magnified  500  diameters. 
Fig.  j.    Wheat  starch  granules,  magnified  500  diameters. 
