42 
LIQUOR  OPII  COMPOSITUS. 
admixed.  If  there  be  any  who  believe  that  the  opium  of  the 
markets  is  wholly,  or  even  in  greater  part,  constituted  of  the 
juice  of  the  capsule  obtained  by  incision  as  described  by  the 
books,  it  is  only  necessary  for  them  to  divide  the  whole  number 
of  the  population  of  the  part  of  Asia  Minor  which  produces 
opium,  into  the  number  of  pounds  which  constitutes  a  crop,  to 
prove  that  it  is  impossible  for  any  such  number  of  people  to  col- 
lect any  such  quantities  in  any  such  way.  It  is  also  known  that 
there  are  different  grades  of  quality  in  opium,  which  may  be 
judged  by  the  appearance  ;  and  different  grades  of  quality  which 
cannot  be  judged  by  the  appearance,  no  matter  how  expert  the 
judge  may  be.  Crude  opium,  to  be  officinal,  must  contain  "  at 
least  7  per  cent,  of  morphia."  Then  this  crude  opium  in  drying 
loses  an  average  of  20  per  cent,  of  moisture.  Therefore  dried 
or  powdered  opium  made  from  crude  opium  which  is  just  within 
the  officinal  minimum  limit  and  no  better,  will  contain  8*75  per 
cent,  of  morphia. 
The  writer  has  recently  seen  a  small  lot  of  opium  that,  when 
dried,  yielded  a  powder  containing  nearly  15  per  cent,  of  mor- 
phia, and  knows  from  actual  observation  that  by  appearance,  on 
very  critical  inspection,  it  could  not  be  distinguished  from  an- 
other lot  which,  under  the  same  management,  yielded  only  12 
per  cent.  ;  and  yet  there  was  only  a  difference  of  about  $1.50  or 
less  per  pound  in  the  price. 
Beside  this,  opium  being  a  mixture  made  up  for  price  and 
profit  at  the  place  of  production,'and  being  of  limited  production, 
but  of  almost  unlimited  demand,  has  of  late  years  assumed  the 
character  of  a  manufacture  rather  than  a  natural  product ;  and 
its  practical  standing  in  the  markets  to-day  in  regard  to  its  di- 
lutions and  adulterations  at  the  place  of  original  production  is 
not  very  different  from  that  of  woolen  goods  in  regard  to  shoddy. 
Hence  the  better  grades  of  opium,  like  the  better  grades  of  wool- 
ens, are  produced  in  comparatively  small  quantities  for  the  com- 
paratively small  demand  at  higher  prices,  and  these  grades, 
naturally  enough,  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  makers  of  morphia 
salts,  where  intrinsic  value  is  closely  studied  in  the  interests  of 
pecuniary  gain. 
Again,  so  localized  and  so  limited  is  the  production  of  the 
