292 
ON SOME SPURIOUS SORTS OP OPIUM. 
without melting, and the smell which it then emits has a 
remote resemblance to that of frankincense, as it also does 
when triturated or dissolved. 
It is easily triturated, whilst the genuine opium becomes 
more or less viscid ; the powder is brownish and dry ; the 
cold watery solution froths strongly as if from gum — the 
warm solution does the same, is brown, reddish if held 
against the light, but becomes cloudy on cooling. Litmus 
is without reaction on the watery solution ; by alcohol an 
abundant precipitate is thrown down from the filtered solu- 
tion, in which litmus becomes red after some time standing. 
The filtered watery solution by evaporation yields gum 
which burns to ashes. On burning the resinous residue it 
burns with a sooty flame and a resinous odour, leaving be- 
hind a coal which glowed and incinerated, evolving a dis- 
agreeable smell like that of animal glue. I thought it worth 
while to make a qualitative analysis of this opium, the re- 
sult of which was : — 
25 per cent, of matters insoluble in water and alcohol, consisting of : 
7 per cent, of combustible matters, containing carbon 
and nitrogen. 
18 per cent, of incombustible substances, viz. sand, 
traces of iron, lime, and lead. 
64 per cent, of substances soluble in water=6?wm. 
9 per cent, of substances soluble in alcohol=jResm. 
2 per cent. loss. 
100 without any trace of morphia or meconic acid. 
This so-called opium is, according to this analysis, deci- 
dedly an artificial composition, or rather a daring imposi- 
tion, for there is not a trace of opium in it.* It was offered 
' * By treating the watery solution with dilute acetic acid, saturat- 
ing with excess of carbonate of potash, filtering, then testing the 
sediment with nitric acid, no trace of morphia was obtained ; the 
absence of meconic acid was proved by precipitating by sugar of 
lead, and testing with chloride of iron. By caustic potash and ether 
no trace of Merk's porphyroxin was discovered. 
