IS 
PHARMACEUTICAL NOTICES. 
cold infusion of opium, to which wine has been added in 
sufficient quantity to ensure its preservation. The fact of 
its being given in large doses without producing any un- 
pleasant symptoms whatever, is ascribed to its not possess- 
ing any narcotina. A denarcotised laudanum, formed of 
opium, from which the narcotine had been isolated by 
maceration in ether, has long been known, and its pleasing 
qualities advocated by many medical writers. At onetime 
it so far claimed the attention of chemists, as to induce 
Prof. Hare of the University to prepare a quantity of it, 
portions of which he distributed among our apothecaries, 
in the view to have its virtues made manifest, and at the 
same time elicit for it a preference over ordinary laudanum. 
This is, however, an expensive preparation, from the quan- 
tity of ether wasted — -opium itself being a dear drug; con- 
sequently very little heed has been given to the making of 
denarcotised laudanum; but when the fact becomes more 
extensively known, that simple water can supply the place 
of the ether, we may then look for its more general adoption. 
The method I pursue in making laudanum, taught by my 
eminent instructor, and at present pursued by some of my 
colleagues, is first to divide the opium as finely as possible, 
(either by bruising in a mortar, if dry — or cutting in small 
pieces, if moist,) and macerate it in a quantity of water suf- 
ficient to cover it, during twenty-four hours: it is then ex- 
pressed forcibly through a cloth, and the marc malaxated 
with the fingers, so as to reduce the coherent particles, and 
again subjected to the action of an equal quantity of cold 
water; and after being allowed to macerate for a couple of 
hours, is again put under the press and the liquid parts ex- 
tracted; the residuum is then placed in a mortar and 
rubbed down by means of a small quantity of water and 
some fine sand, to a pasty consistence, then transferred to a 
funnel, and water added until the quantity requisite to form 
half of the menstruum is made up from percolation; to this 
aqueous solution add the alcohol, and set aside for some 
