LIQUOR  OPII  COMPOSITITS. 
45 
nations,  associated  with  only  that  part  of  the  coloring  matter 
and  extractive  which,  like  the  useful  alkaloids,  are  soluble  in 
both  water  and  alcohol,  and  insoluble  in  ether,  must  be  con- 
sidered as  important  advantages.  Hitherto  the  preparation  has 
been  an  aqueous  one,  or  at  least  contained  only  one-eighth  of 
its  volume  of  the  mixture  of  alcohol,  ether,  and  heavy  oil  of  wine. 
But  it  is  now  so  doubtful  whether  there  is  any  real  advantage  in 
this,  that  the  point  is  abandoned  in  order  to  secure  the  perma- 
nent solution  of  the  chloroform  by  largely  increasing  the  propor- 
tion of  alcohol.  Hereafter  the  preparation  will  contain  about 
half  its  volume  of  stronger  alcohol, — that  is,  will  be  of  about  the 
same  alcoholic  strength  as  the  officinal  tincture  of  opium.  This 
materially  disturbs  and  diminishes  the  appropriateness  of  the 
name,  since  "  liquor  "  is  commonly  accepted  to  mean  an  aqueous 
solution,  whilst  "  tincture  "is  as  commonly  accepted  to  mean 
an  alcoholic  solution.  All  good  authorities,  however,  apply  the 
word  "  tincture  "  in  a  technical  sense  to  solutions  where  the 
solvent  is  only  half  alcohol,  or  even  less.  The  name,  however, 
cannot  now  be  wisely  changed,  and  the  only  circumstance  which 
supports  its  equivocal  appropriateness  is  that  the  large  propor- 
tion of  alcohol  is  not  present  as  a  solvent  of  the  opium  products, 
nor  as  a  vehicle,  since  the  water  performs  both  these  parts,  but 
merely  as  a  preservative  agent,  and  as  a  solvent  and  protector 
for  the  chloroform  and  acetic  ether ;  and  it  therefore  may  be 
construed  to  enter  into  the  nomenclature  with  its  more  intimate 
associates  under  the  word  "  compositus,"  as  one  of  the  compound- 
ing ingredients. 
The  preparation  may  perhaps  not  unfairly  be  criticised  as  un- 
stable, from  the  great  volatility  of  both  the  acetic  ether  and 
chloroform,  since  these  will  have  a  tendency  constantly  to  escape 
from  it  during  use.  But  when  it  is  remembered  that  these  are 
not  essential  to  its  primary  medicinal  efficacy,  and  that  if  entirely 
evaporated  out  the  medicine  would  be  but  one-tenth  stronger, 
the  criticism  will  not  have  much  force.  A  much  more  forcible 
objection  to  the  preparation  is  often  made  in  regard  to  its  costli- 
ness. This  objection  cannot  be  satisfactorily  met,  and  need  not 
be  attempted,  since  those  who  do  not  recognize  the  necessity  or 
the  value  of  the  time,  labor  and  skill  involved  in  it,  and  are  not 
