Crude Opium.—Variable in strength.
Tincture of Opium, Laudanum.—1 grain of opium to every 25 drops, or 1 grain of opium to every 13 measured drops, minims.
Tincture of opium, Camphorated (Paregoric).—1 grain to the ounce, or 480 drops.
McMunn’s Elixir.—Same strength as laudanum.
Dover’s Powder.—1 grain of opium and 1 grain of ipecac to every 10 grains of the powder.
Sulphate of Morphia. Acetate of Morphia.—Salts of opium, 1 grain of either being equal to about 6 grains of opium.
Laudanum was De Quincey’s favorite. He avers that he has taken as high as 8000 drops in the course of twenty-four hours. Coleridge is credited with having taken more. A patient, a lady, whom I saw in consultation with Dr. Brennan, of this city, took a half pint every morning. Without it she was totally unfit to converse or to be seen. Many of the old fashioned habituès use the gum opium, but few, paregoric, and a less number still, Dover’s powder. In order to get a sufficient amount of opium for the average user, from Dover’s powder, the ipecac, which is present in equal amount, would produce nausea, and offer a further bar to its employment. Pulverized opium and extract of opium have been used in the form of suppositories. This was the case with one of my patients, a gentleman suffering from chronic inflammation of the bladder; after a time he abandoned the opium, using in its stead morphia, in gradually increasing doses.
I have already given Dr. Earle’s table as to the relative frequency with which the different preparations are used. I here append his table of quantities. Of this and the preparation sold, druggists from whom he obtained his statistics would be able to judge with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
QUANTITY.
| Morphia— | |||||||
| 21 | persons use | from | 1 | to | 3 | grains | each day. |
| 17 | ” | ” | 3 | to | 6 | ” | ” |
| 12 | ” | ” | 6 | to | 10 | ” | ” |
| 10 | ” | ” | 10 | to | 15 | ” | ” |
| 12 | ” | ” | 15 | to | 20 | ” | ” |
| 7 | ” | ½ | a drachm | ” | |||
| 6 | ” | 1 | drachm | ” | |||
| 20 | ” | 1 | bottle | per week. | |||
| 5 | ” | 2 | ” | ” | |||
| 1 | ” | 11 | bottles | each month. | |||
| Tr. Opium— | |||||||
| 15 | persons use | 1 | drachm | each day. | |||
| 4 | ” | 3 | ” | ” | |||
| 7 | ” | 4 | ” | ” | |||
| 12 | ” | 1 | ounce | ” | |||
| 4 | ” | 2 | ” | ” | |||
| 1 | ” | 3 | ” | ” | |||
| 1 | ” | 4 | ” | ” | |||
| Gum Opium— | |||||||
| 3 | persons use | 10 | grains | each day. | |||
| 5 | ” | 20 | ” | ” | |||
| 9 | ” | ½ | drachm | ” | |||
| 12 | ” | 1 | ” | ” | |||
| 4 | ” | 2 | ” | ” | |||
| 2 | ” | 3 | ” | ” | |||
| 1 | ” | 4 | ” | ” | |||