Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
November,  la;  5.  j 
Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
591 
the  latter.  Mr.  England  inquired  how  granulated  opium  is  made,  and  Mr. 
L,aWall,  replying  to  this  query,  said  that  the  process  is  a  commercial  one  and 
more  likely  to  be  used  by  those  handling  large  quantities  of  the  drug,  and  that 
the  product  contains  no  diluent,  whereupon  he  called  attention  to  a  sample 
which  had  been  prepared  by  Mr.  Kebler.  Mr.  George  M.  Beringer  stated  that 
the  sample  of  granulated  opium  exhibited  was  very  similar  to  the  coarsely 
powdered  opium  that  he  had  been  using  for  several  years  for  the  preparation  of 
camphorated  tincture  of  opium,  wine,  etc.  He  had  prepared  the  same  by  cutting 
the  moist  opium  into  small  pieces  and  setting  these  aside  in  a  warm  place  until 
sufficiently  dry  to  powder.  It  was  then  coarsely  powdered  in  a  mortar  and 
passed  through  a  No.  20  or  30  sieve,  until  uniformly  mixed.  In  the  official 
process  for  tincture  of  opium,  calcium  phosphate  and  powdered  opium  (No.  80) 
are  directed.  He  had  frequently  found  the  calcium  phosphate  of  the  market 
alkaline  and  at  other  times  containing  a  large  proportion  of  calcium  carbon- 
ate. This  admixture  might  possibly  be  the  cause  of  the  loss  of  morphine  re- 
ported in  the  finished  tincture.  He  saw  no  advantage  in  the  use  of  the  granu- 
lated opium  in  the  preparation  of  the  tincture,  over  the  use  of  the  gum  opium. 
He  recommended  beating  the  gum  opium,  after  being  cut  into  small  pieces,  in 
a  mortar  with  warm  water  until  reduced  to  a  uniform  mixture,  macerating  with 
requisite  amounts  of  alcohol  and  water,  and  percolating,  the  tincture  to  be 
assayed  and  standardized  to  a  uniform  percentage  of  morphine.  Mr.  LaWall 
further  remarked  that  the  calcium  phosphate  which  he  used  in  his  experiments 
was  not  alkaline,  and  that  he  had  made  some  experiments  with  talcum  which 
gave  practically  the  same  results.  He  also  stated  that  the  large  manufacturers 
assay  the  finished  tincture.  Mr.  England  showed  a  sample  of  moist  Persian 
opium,  which  had  been  presented  to  the  College  by  Mr.  S.  G.  Rosengarten,  and 
which  assayed  15  per  cent,  of  morphine,  this  high-grade  opium  being  imported 
solely  for  the  manufacture  of  the  alkaloid.  Mr.  Kebler  said  that  there  must 
have  been  some  mistake  made  in  the  abstract  of  Prof.  Hemm's  report  on  tinc- 
ture opium,  which  appeared  in  the  August  number  of  the  National  Druggist, 
as  Prof.  Hemm,  in  a  communication  to  him,  had  attributed  the  loss  of  alkaloid, 
reported  by  him,  to  be  due  to  the  method  of  percolation  rather  than  to  the 
mode  of  assay.  Mr.  England  inquired  of  Mr.  Kebler  which  method  he  used 
in  estimating  calcium  meconate,  whereupon  the  latter  replied  that  he  employed 
both  the  titration  and  the  combustion  methods. 
Mr.  England  exhibited  and  described  a  new  poison  bottle,  which  was  some- 
what novel  in  design.  The  bottle  has  an  aluminum  screw  top,  the  upper  part 
of  which  is  open  for  the  insertion  of  a  stopper,  and  on  removing  this  it  is 
found  that  another  stopper  is  securely  inserted,  and  that  the  most  expeditious 
way  of  getting  at  the  contents  of  the  bottle  is  to  unscrew  the  cap.  Mr.  England 
was  of  the  opinion  that  this  device  could  be  regarded  merety  as  an  aid  in  secur- 
ing the  caution  and  care  necessary  in  handling  poisons. 
The  next  paper,  entitled  Additional  Notes  on  Black  Sulphur,  was  read  by 
Mr.  Kebler,  see  p.  559. 
Mr.  Beringer  referred  to  a  new  use  for  "  Black  Sulphur,"  and  that  was  as  an 
insecticide  in  the  protection  of  trees,  and  he  also  stated  that  a  company  had  been 
organized  in  the  New  England  States  to  manufacture  it  for  this  purpose.  The 
method  of  using  it  was  to  bore  a  hole  into  the  tree  and  place  therein  some  of 
the  powder,  afterward  closing  the  opening.    The  State  right  for  the  sale  of  the 
