*''"De°c"ir8o^'"'  }  Morphia  and  Opium  Trade  in  the  U.  S.  6  \  5 
not,  according  to  the  use  made  of  it,  whether  beneficially  applied  for 
the  alleviation  of  suffering,  or  used  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  a  bane 
and  a  curse  enervating  the  faculties  of  both  body  and  mind. 
The  most  potent  constituent  of  opium,  morphia,  was  discovered  by 
the  German  apothecary  Serturner,  in  18 16.  Ludwig  had  observed  a 
crystalline  deposit  from  strong  solutions  of  opium  as  early  as  1688, 
which  was  probably  meconate  of  morphia,  which  he  named  Magiste- 
rium  opii ;  but  to  Serturner  certainly  belongs  ths  credit  of  determin- 
ing its  character  as  a  vegetable  basic  compound — the  first  active  prin- 
ciple separated  of  this  nature. 
Within  fifteen  years  of  the  date  first  named,  George  B.  Brown  and 
and  G  D.  Rosengarten,  chemists,  of  Philadelphia,  began  the  manu- 
facture of  morphia,  and  supplied  the  druggists  of  this  and  other  cities 
of  the  United  States  with  it^  and  so  quickly  did  its  use  become  popular 
Mr.  Rosengarten  informed  me  that  he  estimated  his  production  of  it 
during  the  first  three  years  at  5,000  ounces  a  year.  Previous  to  its 
introduction  to  the  trade,  black  drop  and  McMunn's  elixir  of  opium 
were  extensively  used,  which,  on  accunnt  of  their  freedom  from  nar- 
cotina,  were  not  bad  substitutes. 
Mr.  Samuel  F.  Troth,  an  old  and  esteemed  citizen  of  Philadelphia, 
whose  connection  with  the  drug  business  began  in  18 16,  gave  me 
several  interesting  details  concerning  the  subject  of  this  paper  ;  amongst 
other  things  he  states,  in  answer  to  the  question  whether  there  was 
any  prejudice  against  its  use  at  first,  I  do  not  recollect  of  any  preju- 
dice against  morphia  at  its  firs',  introduction  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  was 
considered  a  great  and  valuable  discovery."  He  also  stares  that  this 
article,  as  made  by  Mr.  Rosengarten,  did  not  differ  very  materially  in 
appearance  from  that  produced  at  present,  except  that  it  was  not  quite 
as  white.  Mr.  Wm.  Weightman  (the  surviving  representative  of  the 
firm  of  Powers  &  Weightman),  on  the  other  hand,  informs  me  that 
the  morphia  which  they  obtained  from  Europe  about  this  time  was  by 
no  means  pure,  containing  a  considerable  amount  of  impurity,  and  was 
of  a  light  brown  color  ;  so  that,  judging  from  what  I  have  heard  from 
these  gentlemen  and  others  engaged  in  the  retail  business  even  at  this 
early  period,  these  firms  manifested  that  progressiveness  and  excellence 
in  character  of  their  products,  for  which  they  have  been  noted  ever 
since. 
I  have  endeavored  to  ascertain  the  price  of  morphia  at  this  time^ 
