AmAP°rUii;i902!rm'}  Spread  of  Tuberculosis.  169 
up  tightly  the  lower  end  of  the  stem,  but  so  that  the  cork  can  be 
removed  when  desirable,  and  place  in  the  funnel  a  plain,  folded 
double  filter  and  put  the  granular  opium  on  the  same ;  press  down 
slightly  and  pour  upon  the  opium  sufficient  gasoline  to  cover  it. 
To  prevent  evaporation  of  the  gasoline,  cover  the  top  of  the  funnel; 
let  stand  over  night ;  then  withdraw  cork  from  bottom  of  funnel, 
allowing  liquid  to  run  into  container.  Repeat  the  operation,  pour- 
ing on  gasoline  until  the  solvent  takes  up  no  more  color  from  the 
opium.  Now  remove  the  filter  containing  the  opium  from  the 
funnel,  and  spread  the  opium  out  to  dry,  using  gentle  heat  if 
desired.  The  gasoline  solution  extracts  from  the  opium  from  2  to 
3  per  cent,  of  matter  consisting  largely  of  caoutchouc,  wax,  resin, 
oily  matter,  etc.,  the  extracted  mass  having  the  strong,  peculiar 
odor  characteristic  of  natural  opium. 
Reverting  again  to  the  granular  opium  thus  purified  :  The  proc- 
ess employed  in  making  the  liquid  preparations  from  this  purified 
opium  is  the  same  as  that  used  in  making  it  from  the  crude  drug. 
By  this  means  preparations  will  be  secured  having  all  the  beneficial 
and  none  of  the  noxious  properties  of  the  drug.  We  therefore 
recommend  that  the  next  pharmacopoeia  insert  as  a  new  prepara- 
tion granular  opium  treated  with  gasoline.  We  further  recommend 
that  the  pharmacopoeia  give  a  high-grade  gasoline  a  name  that  will 
not  cause  it  to  be  confused  in  the  market  with  benzin  ;  we  also 
recommend  that  narcotine  be  made  official  as  a  medicinal  agent. 
In  closing  this  paper  we  would  recommend  that  when  morphine 
is  prescribed,  narcotine  be  added  to  offset  the  depressing  effects  of 
the  former. 
THE  SPREAD  OF  TUBERCULOSIS  BY  COUGHING. 
By  Lt.  Napoleon  Boston,  A.M.,  M.D. 
Bacteriologist  to  Philadelphia  Hospital  ;  Demonstrator  in  charge  Clinical 
Laboratories  of  the  Medico-Chirurgical  College. 
In  view  of  the  popular  opinion  now  prevalent  throughout  the 
civilized  world  that  tuberculosis  is  a  disease  dependent,  in  most 
part,  upon  certain  tendencies  transmitted  from  parent  to  offspring, 
it  becomes  the  duty  of  every  one  working  along  these  lines  to  show 
that  tuberculosis  is  but  rarely  inherited,  but  that  it  is  a  disease 
capable  of  transmission  by  infected  persons  to  those  previously 
healthy,  by  contact  or  by  association.    It  may  in  like  manner  be 
