Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1897. 
Starch  and  Strontium  in  Opium. 
249 
applied  a  correction  by  means  of  the  ash  method.  The  results  are 
given  below : 
Crude 
Morphine. 
Smith  I  *f*t 
I.1678 
LaWall  1 17,11 
(  17-04 
Pure 
Morphine. 
Squibb's  process    ....  16-13 
U.S.P.  process  i6-i9 
16*09 
16-03 
Ten  cases  of  opium  from  one  consignment  were  assayed  under 
most  favorable  conditions,  in  reference  to  temperature,  amount  of 
washings  and  time  of  shaking  out  the  morphine.  The  first  five  cases 
were  assayed  one  day,  and  the  remaining  five,  two  days  later.  The 
results  were  as  follows  : — 
No. 
Crude 
Pure 
Crude  Morphine 
Morphine. 
Morphine. 
Moisture. 
in  Dry  Opium. 
I. 
12-34 
20*52 
i5'53 
2. 
I2-38 
20*35 
i5'55 
3- 
12-39 
II*36 
20*81 
15.65 
4- 
12-33 
20*04 
15  '35 
5- 
12*34, 
19-58 
I5-34 
6. 
12*65] 
20-32 
15-88 
7- 
1278  j 
19*55 
15*89 
8. 
12*74  y 
II  64 
J9  5i 
15-83 
9- 
1279 
19-17 
15-82 
TO. 
12  48  J 
2079 
T575 
A  glance  at  the  above  figures  shows  a  uniformity  in  the  quality  of 
opium  hitherto  unnoticed  in  assaying  large  consignments.  The 
additional  circumstances  of  the  presence  of  wheat  starch  in  the 
opium,  and  strontium  in  the  ash,  would  indicate  a  previous  manipu- 
lation of  a  large  quantity  of  opium,  before  packing  it  into  cases  for 
shipment.  - 
The  perplexing  part  of  this  view  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  yield  of 
morphine  is  still  several  per  cent,  higher  than  the  limit  required  by 
the  custom  house ;  since  it  would  be  just  as  easy  to  reduce  the  mor- 
phine to  10  per  cent.,  thus  making  an  additional  profit  and  still  be 
above  the  legal  standard. 
The  question  naturally  arises,  can  starch  or  epidermal  tissue,  or 
rumex  seed,  or  strontium  sulphate,  or  the  calcareous  salts  found  in 
Turkey  opium  be  classed  as  adulterants  of  opium  in  the  true  sense 
of  the  word?  We  all  know  that  the  opium  as  it  comes  into  the 
market  is  the  concrete  juice  of  the  poppy,  mixed  with  various  and 
sundry  substances,  and  to  say  that  this  or  that  is  an  adulterant  of 
