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DR.  MCMUNN'S  ELIXIR  OF  OPIUM. 
DE.  McMUNN'S  ELIXIR  OF  OPIUM. 
A  correspondent  from  this  city  has  furnished  the  Philadelphia 
Medical  and  Surgical  Recorder  with  the  following  recipe,  which, 
he  says,  was  found  among  the  effects  of  the  late  Dr.  Chilton  ; 
"  1.  Take  five  pounds  of  Turkey  opium,  cut  in  small  pieces 
and  dried,  and  put  it  into  a  large  strong  glass  jar  with  a  wide 
mouth,  and  pour  on  it  sulphuric  ether  enough  to  a  little  more 
than  cover  it ;  then  stop  the  jar  tight  with  a  glass  stopple  to  pre- 
vent its  evaporation  ;  set  it  away  in  a  cool  place,  and  stir  it  daily 
with  a  stick  so  that  all  the  lumps  may  be  broken.  At  the  end 
of  a  week  drain  off  the  ether,  and  again  pour  on  as  much  more, 
and  repeat  stirring  it  every  day  for  a  week  longer,  when  it  may 
be  drained  off  as  before.  Then  stop  the  jar  tight,  and  lay  it 
down  on  its  side  so  that  all  the  ether  that  accumulates  near  its 
mouth  may  be  drained  off,  and  repeat  doing  so  until  the  opium 
is  all  dry.    Then  expose  it  to  the  open  air  for  a  few  days. 
"  The  sulphuric  ether  extracts  from  the  opiumt  he  Narcotine, 
which  is  its  most  deleterious  principle,  and  also  deprives  it  of 
its  peculiar  noxious  odor,  so  that  the  elixir  will  not  smell  of  it 
thereafter. 
"  2.  Now  to  free  the  opium  of  the  smell  of  the  ether,  and  to 
extract  its  valuable  medicinal  principles,  boil  it  in  water,  as  fol- 
lows :  Pour  into  a  tin  boiler  four  gallons  of  pure  soft  water, 
and  when  hot  (but  not  boiling)  put  in  the  opium,  when  a  great 
ebullition  will  take  place,  which  is  owing  to  the  evaporation  of 
the  ether.  Then  let  it  boil  ten  or  twelve  minutes,  occasionally 
stirring  it  so  that  the  lumps  of  opium  may  be  all  broken  and  dis- 
solved. Then  set  it  away  till  the  next  day,  when  it  should  be 
strained  through  a  cloth  strainer,  and  if  there  be  not  four  gallons 
of  the  solution,  pour  on  the  leached  opium  boiling  water  enough 
to  make  that  quantity  when  it  is  strained  and  clear. 
"  When  in  the  state  of  watery  solution,  it  is  better  to  be  kept 
in  stone  crocks  that  will  hold  about  two  or  three  gallons  each, 
and  in  a  cool  place  as  a  cellar ;  after  standing  five  or  six  days 
the  clear  solution  should  be  carefully  dipped  off  into  a  large  tin 
can.  The  skimmings!  and  dregs  should  be  strained,  and  when 
clear  put  with  the  other. 
"  3.  To  this  four  gallons  of  watery  solution,  add  five  and  a 
half  gallons  of  alcohol,  and  stir  the  mixture  thoroughly ;  then 
