OPIUM  AS  A  THERAPEUTIC  AGENT. 
117 
powdering  20  to  21  per  cent.,  provided  the  powder  be  not  ex- 
posed to  attract  moisture  from  the  air  after  powdering.  Then, 
as  may  be  seen  by  the  table,  powdered  opium  contains  as  usually 
met  with  over  8  per  cent,  of  moisture,  or  when  carefully  put  up 
and  well  kept  about  6-3  per  cent.  The  amount  of  moisture  in 
the  powdered  specimens  was  determined  by  exposing  them  to 
a  temperature  of  212°  until  they  ceased  to  lose  weight. 
Quantity  examined. 
per  centage  of  morphia. 
per  centage  loss  in  drying. 
Sample  of  powdered  opium. 
a              it  tt 
a               a              t  t 
a              tt  tt 
76  lbs.  of  opium. 
1  "  " 
18   "  " 
2  "  " 
6   "  " 
I   it  a 
in  powdered 
opium. 
in  comrrercial 
opium. 
in  powdered 
opium. 
in  commercial 
opium. 
9.21 
8.55 
7.31 
7.44 
9.32 
8.10 
7.37 
6.16 
6.26 
7.87 
8. 
7.77 
5.15 
8.32 
11.15 
9.47 
8.34 
6.18 
6.10 
6.31 
21.  calculated. 
(<  tt 
n  tt 
tt        1 1 
20.967  actual. 
23.343  " 
19. 
19.  <; 
18. 
Within  the  extremes  of  this  table  there  is  a  variation  of  6  per  cent, 
in  the  morphia  strength,  or  admitting  the  quantity  of  morphia 
as  an  index  of  the  therapeutic  value  of  the  opium,  the  dose  be- 
ing the  same  in  all  these  instances,  the  therapeutic  effect  would 
be  two  and  one-sixth  times  greater  in  one  case  than  in  the  other, 
whilst  in  no  two  instances  could  it  be  exactly  the  same;  and  yet 
this  table  is,  in  itself,  a  mean  between  greater  extremes,  or  at 
least  is  very  far  from  the  lowest  extreme,  since  the  writer  has 
examined  at  least  two  specimens  of  powdered  opium  furnished 
by  respectable  sources  that  contained  less  than  1.5  per  cent,  of 
crude  morphia. 
The  writer's  observations  lead  directly  to  the  conclusion  that 
in  every  case  of  opium  imported  lumps  could  be  found  yielding 
at  least  all  the  variety  of  percentages  of  the  above  table,  and 
therefore  that  there  is  no  way  of  using  opium  therapeutically 
with  a  hope  of  even  approximative  uniformity  in  dose,  except  in 
the  form  of  powder.  And  even  in  this  form,  when  well  made 
from  large  quantities,  the  ultimate  extremes  only  are  avoided. 
If  these  conclusions  be  well  based,  the  pharmaceutist  who 
buys  his  opium  one  or  two  lumps  at  a  time,  and  who  may  make 
his  own  powder  from  it,  can  never,  except  by  accident,  supply 
the  physician  with  preparations  of  the  same  therapeutic  power, 
for  any  great  length  of  time. 
