Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
November,  1895.  / 
Granulated  Opium. 
555 
increasing,  we  may  fully  expect  to  see  it  authorized  in  the  next  re- 
vision of  the  U.  S.  P.  In  appearance  it  is  extremely  characteristic, 
the  opium  being  in  the  form  of  small,  irregular  fragments  of  nearly 
uniform  size.  No  methods  for  its  preparation  have  as  yet  been  pub- 
lished to  the  writers'  knowledge  and  it  is  probable  that  its  manufac- 
ture will  be  conducted  by  those  who  are  able  to  handle  it  in  large 
quantity,  as  is  the  case  with  powdered  opium. 
The  use  of  granulated  opium  is  characterized  by  its  simplicity 
and  ease  of  manipulation.  The  process  in  general  is  as  follows : 
Into  the  lower  orifice  of  a  cylindrical  percolator  place  a  plug  of  ab- 
sorbent cotton,  introduce  the  opium  loosely,  without  previous  moist- 
ening ;  then  press  it  down  firmly  and  cover  it  with  a  filter  paperf 
held  in  place  by  a  suitable  weight.  Any  desired  menstruum  can 
now  be  carefully  poured  on,  and  after  due  maceration  (which  may 
vary  from  4  to  1 2  hours,  according  to  the  desire  of  the  operator) 
percolation  may  be  allowed  to  proceed,  the  rate  of  outflow  being  so 
regulated  as  to  exhaust  the  drug  in  the  most  thorough  and  speedy 
manner. 
A  number  of  experiments  were  performed  with  granulated  opium 
in  the  preparation  of  the  tincture,  duplicate  assays  being  made  of 
each  sample  of  the  drug  before  percolation.  Experiments  were  also 
made,  using  the  U.  S.  P.  1890  process,  the  directions  being  followed 
as  carefully  and  uniformly  as  possible,  taking  similar  precautions  in 
previously  assaying  the  drug  in  each  case.  The  U.  S.  P.  1890  pro- 
cess  was  experimented  upon  to  verify,  if  possible,  the  results  which 
were  obtained  by  Professor  Francis  Hemm,  and  which  were  reported 
by  him  to  the  Missouri  Pharmaceutical  Association.1 
Professor  Hemm  used  a  powdered  opium  of  a  well-known  make, 
which,  when  re-assayed,  was  found  to  contain  13  per  cent,  of  mor- 
phine. The  tincture  prepared  by  him  from  the  above  opium,  using 
the  U.  S.  P.  1890  process,  contained  only  1  per  cent,  of  morphine, 
and  further  percolation  of  the  residue  failed  to  extract  more  than  a 
trace  (  02  per  cent.)  of  the  missing  alkaloid.  Professor  Hemm,  in 
replying  to  a  letter  which  was  written  to  him,  asking  for  any  further 
information  he  might  have,  stated  that,  in  the  discussion  which  fol- 
lowed the  reading  of  his  article,  the  difficulty  was  attributed  to  the 
1  Report  on  Tr.  Opium,  by  Prof.  Francis  Hemm,  Missouri  Pharmaceutical 
Association,  1895,  National  Druggist,  August,  1895,  p.  242. 
