WHAT  IS  OPIUM? 
527 
raancl  considerable  quantities  of  the  residues  of  genuine  opiums; 
they  may  state  whether  I  am  correct  in  saying  that  a  pectic 
body  must  have  a  place  among  the  normal  constituents  of  the 
poppy  juice. 
After  the  treatment  of  the  opium  with  ammonia,  water  is 
without  any  action  upon  the  residue,  which  does  not  even  swell ; 
I  consequently  cannot  agree  with  those  chemists  who  admit  bas- 
sorine  as  one  of  the  principles  of  opium. 
Examined  under  the  microscope,  the  opium  powder  thus  de- 
prived of  ail  soluble  matters,  shows  very  distinctly  that  it  con- 
sists now  exclusively  of  fragments  of  the  capsule,  which  by  in- 
cineration yield  some  ash,  but  not  the  whole  amount  of  it,  the 
inorganic  salts  having  been  already  partly  removed  by  alcohol, 
water  and  acetic  acid.  Among  them  a  comparatively  large  pro- 
portion of  alkaline  sulphates,  as  well  as  of  sulphate  of  lime  is 
always  met  with.  Sulphuric  acid  is  set  at  liberty,  if  the  pre- 
cipitate obtained  by  neutral  acetate  of  lead  is  decomposed  by 
sulphuretted  hydrogen  in  an  alcoholic  solution,  which  causes  the 
mucilage  to  be  precipitated. 
In  the  manner  indicated  I  completely  exhausted  10  grammes 
of  good  Turkish  opium  successively  with  the  above  liquids,  de- 
voting about  a  week  to  this  task.  The  results  will,  I  hope, 
clearly  show  which  direction  should  be  followed,  in  order  to  pro- 
mote our  knowledge  of  opium.  It  is  that  part  extracted  by  al- 
cohol which  contains  the  constituents  not  yet  known,  and  upon 
which  further  researches,  which  I  hope  to  institute,  may  proba- 
bly throw  some  light. 
The  following  numbers,  calculated  for  100  parts,  were  ob- 
tained.   The  opium  yielded — 
(  4*50  narcotine  and 
To  benzol,    .    10*83=  <  6.33  caoutchouc,  with  traces  of  fatty 
matter. 
"  alcohol,  .    57*67  representing  about  20  per  cent.  OF  un- 
known BODIES. 
"  water,    .      9.67  of  mucilage. 
"  acetic  acid,  1*73  salts,  a  little  pectic  acid  and  coloring 
matter. 
"  ammonia,     7*33  pectic  acid,  reddening  litmus. 
