ON MURIATE OP OPIUM. 
107 
ART. XXVL— ON MURIATE OF OPIUM. 
By J. G. NiCHOL, M. D., of Crook, Durham. 
During the last ten or twelve years I have made and 
prescribed a sohUion of opium, which I think is not men- 
tioned in any work on Materia Medica with which I am 
acquainted. I use powdered Turkey opium and water, 
pretty strongly acidulated with muriatic acid. I have found, 
by experience, that this is the best anodyne I am acquaint- 
ed with. I see, by Dr. Pereira's Materia Medica, that 
mention is made of Dr. Porter's solution of opium in citric 
acid. I made and used the same sort of preparation ten 
years ago ; but it did not answer. It caused a great deal 
of headache, and other unpleasant symptoms ; moreover, 
it became muddy, and appeared to be decomposed; there- 
fore, I gave up using it. I have called this preparation of 
mine Muriate of Opium, but perhaps it is not a very correct 
iiame. I may mention that I prepared solutions of opium 
with acetic, nitric, sulphuric, citric, tartaric, and muriatic 
acids, and also prescribed them, but the muriatic solution 
was vastly superior to any one in every respect. All of 
them ryroduced headache with the exception of the muriatic, 
I prefer muriate of opium to the tincture, wine, or powder 
of opium, and also to the muriate and acetate of morphia ; 
in fact, to any other preparation of opium. It never 
makes my headache, but all the other preparations do. 
My preparation is made according to the following for- 
mula: — 
Take of The best powdered Opium, §j. 
Muriatic Acid, gj. 
Distilled Water, §xx. Mix. 
Shake this mixture very frequently every day, during 
fourteen days, then strain and filter. The dose is from 
