* atcrfc THE WHITE POPPY. 1317

' a I lr ech)!'| e ^ r 2)2°,and decomposed with agitation by a faint excess of ammonia,^ * a,e w hich, in twenty-four hours, occupies 12 - 5 measures of the liquid."

? a z. Xxii^io' 0 1 V ' 0U 1 ( I merely observe, that Mr. Sandall ( Lond. Med'vitin- ’. °®>) found that the quantity of water which this salt loses by

from 9-20 to 14-33 P er cent -

S ist as ' 0|| all? 0F ?f QU, ‘ HJ A, though not contained in the British pharmacopoeias, is0/, S 1 am Se< ^ * n mec hcine. ^ is crystalline, and readily soluble in water. It con-

jjj e °f these 01 SM ^ wnc ac id — 40, 1 atom morphia = 292, and 6 atoms water = 34.Ve d ' v illm a *^ Ins water is ari essential constituent of the salt, and cannot be re-Pj ut destroying the salt. The other 3 atoms are the water of crystallization.

th^* Ca ^ Effects of Morphia and its Salts .—The precise relation1 Point 6 ellec *- s °f this alkaloid and its salts bear to those of opium is"'liters ( r p 11 bich the profession is by no means agreed. Some recent• > aft ro , USSeau and Pidoux, Traite de Therap. i. 164. 1836) declare^*!}| th Q er having carefally compared the effects of the morphia saltslri )' (j VVn j? °f opium, they can discover no difference between them; but"free T . lIi ‘ited observations of the effects of these salts induce me to^fleets 0 „ 1 ihose who admit the similarity, but not the identity, of the.*%;) Co Wese substances. Charvet {De l'Action Comp, de VOpium,Xt y tr ttlj''- 1 / observe no difference between them in their action on ther V '°Us a . a - But on the higher classes of the vertebrata there were>?P e cts V.herences. The effects of morphia on man are in several

> th t . rei| t from those of opium, but they appear to want unifor-(!, trietl ter s 11S ’ l \ le same results have not been arrived at by different expe-rt of " ^‘is mav, in some cases at least, be ascribed to the employ-

' '■ • ■ ’ ■’ - p n

Si,

contaminated with some other principles of opium^es a /• ’ as from a quarter of a grain to one grain, acetate of morphiai V * s 'on G I- 11 ^ °*' distension or fulness about the head, some disturbancej^P, Whi c p t f nllmes headache, giddiness, and somnolency or actual^ disturl, ’ however, differs from ordinary sleep, and is often more orf |j] C|l rs j ri ®o. The pupils are usually contracted. Orfila says thisjjtation / Jlne foen out of twenty cases. However, in some instances’ s ge aS * )Cen observed, and in others the pupil was natural. Thetor ° c casi 6ra slow and small, though sometimes it is more frequent,d( Pc ed) Qr ° na lly is soft and full. Itching of the skin is frequentlyr ead q ven a cutaneous eruption is by no means uncommon. GrainHg r )table ^ ° XC ' te gastric uneasiness, nausea, and vomiting. Oneti) 1 *’ ts a f^tptom often caused by acetate of morphia, especially ina ‘ acuity in voiding the urine, and which appears to depend

- - ' ’ w n / n /r' jj _

or paralytic condition of the bladder. Bally ( Mem . defo e« • ^d. i. 99) lays great stress on this last-mentioned5 j 'd^cially when a full dose of morphia has been taken. When

S?? ened '

"’S' 0 ;'

Par” ^6ct 1 wwc ^ A \y wuen a uni aoseui muipma uaa mnv*.. --

Hi 011 ’ are ] ^bside, loss °f appetite, muscular feebleness, and consti-'iis^hat -j behind. When the dose is increased, the effects becomea ai ’ m hig. Great cerebral excitement is produced, vision is\ ll Cn WT?° bscured ’ there is singing in the ears, and the patient,StyV^ose,, b°rizontally, experiences sudden convulsive movements,ffjlj °Wo ( j' Reduced by the electric shock. When a fatal dose has beeniiij.'ri’ed hy 6 s f° mac h sometimes manifests irritation, but this is soonf an grcat disorder of the cerebro-spinal system, which ultimately

^ess j a P°plectic character. The sight becomes, dim, excessiveexperienced, gradually all consciousness is lost, and coma