560       ON  TINCTURA  OPII  AND  LIQUOR  OPII  SEDATIVUS. 
the  establishments  of  various  pharmaceutists,  and  show  a  varia- 
tion in  strength  which  may  well  rather  alarm  the  prescriber  for 
the  welfare  of  his  patient. 
Taking  the  standard  of  strength  required  by  the  British 
Pharmacopoeia,  which  states  that  100  grains  of  opium  should 
yield  at  least  6  to  8  per  cent,  of  morphia,  the  consequent 
strength  of  tincture  of  opium  B.  P.  should  be  not  less  than  0*5 
per  cent,  of  morphia.  The  following  is  my  result  of  nine  samples 
of  tincture  : 
No.  1  specimen  contained  0*3  per  cent,  of  morphia. 
a  2  66  ii  0*5  u  u 
"  3  "  "  0-6  "  " 
ii  zj.  it  ii  Q.g  ii  ii 
ii  £  ii  ii  q«2  a  a 
a  g  a  a  Q.5  a  a 
a  'J  a  a  Q.4  a  a 
it  g  ii  ii  Q.y  ii  ii 
"  9  u  "  0-5  "  " 
Good  commercial  opium,  such  as  is  commonly  found  in  the 
English  market  (as  our  analysis  last  year  showed),  contains  fre- 
quently as  much  as  10  to  13  per  cent,  of  morphia;  and  the 
Pharmacopoeia  laying  no  restriction  upon  a  maximum  yield  of 
morphia,  opens  a  wide  door  for  a  great  diversity  in  the  strength 
of  its  opium  preparations,  so  that  a  tincture  yielding  from  J  to  1 
per  cent,  of  morphia  is  within  the  Pharmacopoeia  limits. 
The  letter  which  was  lately  addressed  to  the  Pharmaceutical 
Journal  by  Mr.  J.  T.  Miller,  of  Sheffield,  on  the  value  of  the 
British  Pharmacopoeia  tests  for  opium,  is  well  worth  perusal. 
Although  Liq.  Opii  Sedativus  is  not  officinal,  yet  this  form  of 
administering  opium  is  scarcely  less  important  than  the  tincture. 
It  is,  however,  interesting  to  notice  in  the  analysis  of  the  eight 
following  samples  that  the  same  wide  diversity  exists  : 
No.  1  specimen  contains   *6  per  cent,  morphia. 
it     g  a  a  .7  a  a 
it     4  it  ii  l.Q  a  a 
a     5  a  a  .5  it  tt 
it     Q  a  a  .g  a  a 
.ay  44  u  a  a 
a     g  a  a  ii  a 
■London  Chemist  and  Druggist,  Sept.  14,  1867- 
