182
2nd. That the Chinese estimate the value of opinu according to flavour and the quantity of
extract it yields.
3rd. The mode of preparing smoking extract tends to the destruction of morphine.
4th. The large quantity which can be smoked without any apparent toxic effect not only by
habitual smokers but also by beginners,
5th. There is no authentic case of acute poisoning from opium smoking.
An experiment, has been made bearing on this point and although not conclusive it is confirmatory of the idea that morphine is not the active agent which gives pleasure to the opin
smoker.
The following tabulated staternent explains and gives the result of experiment:-
Description of Samples of
Prepared Opini
Submitted for trial.
No. 1.-Prepared Opium from Opium Far.
No. 2.-Prepared Opium, minus
morphine.
No. 3.-No. 1, with 10 per cent
morphine added.
No. 4-No. I, with 20 per cent
morphine added.
Opinion of a Chinese Expert, in one of the Opium Firms, Hongkong.
Opinion of a Nine Years Opium Smoker.
Is fairly good, is a mixture of Bengal Opiuma and something | Good.
elsc.
Is black and coarse, smell fairly good, is not Opium.
Coarse, but can be smoked, contains Opium with some other
mixture, is not so good as No. 1.
Very course aud black burns like charcoal, contains no
Opium.
Not very good.
Sumo as No. 1.
Fairly good, but not so good
as Nos. and 3.
The prepared opium minus morphine was made from Patna opium having as little as possible of the other opium constituents removed with the morphine.
The samples were submitted without any remark beyond desiring an opinion as to quality. A second trial was made with similar results:--
Description of Samples of
Prepared Opium Submitted for trial.
No. L-Opium Farra prepared
Opium, contained 7 cent morphine.
per
i
No. 2.--No. 1, with 15 per cont
morphine added.
No. 3.-No. 1, with 25 per cont
morphine added,
No. 4.-Prepared Opium, minus
norphine.
Opinion of a Chinese Export, in one of the Opium Firms, Hongkong.
Opinion of a Nine Years Opium Smoker.
Appearance coarse and when burned becomes black and hard, Very good.
it is Bengal Drug but not pure, it is mixed with some other stuff and has no taste.
Burus very quick and has no taste or smell of Opium at all. Same as No. 1.
Colour red and coarse when burned gives our plenty of smoke and leaves simply ash and no Opium to smoke. Just like No. 2, only a shade botter.
When applied to the light burns like Opium, bat in a moment it burus quite black and the dross leaves a bad smell. When burning gives out strong smoke.
Not good.
Same as No. 1.
It will be observed that the Chinese expert bases his opinion on the physical appearance of the extract, its behaviour in the flame of the lamp and its smell, not on its effect when smoked. The nine years opium smoker apparently judged of its quality in a somewhat similar manner, but as he actually smoked a considerable quantity of each, viz. :-nearly a quarter of an ounce of each of those to which morphine had been added and over two ounces of No. 4 in the second table, his opinion is considered of most value. At my request he got some of his friends to try No. 4 in the second table and they agreed with him that it was good. On one occasion in about twelve hours he smoked a quantity of opium, to which morphine had been added, equal to at least twenty grains of morphine.
If the effects of opium smoking are similar to those of opium cating and morphine the active agent, it can only be said regarding the former mode of using the drug that a more elaborate, troublesome, wasteful, and expensive method could scarcely be devised to obtain a minimum of effect from a maxi- mum of power.
In connection with the above, I may mention that I have visited a number of opium smoking houses of different classes, but have not as yet been fortunate enough to see that profund sleep with beautiful dreams, &c., which has been so graphically described. In the coolie houses, I have seen men asleep after their evening pipe, and also most probably a hard day's work, they having taken up their quarters there for the night, however, a slight shake with the sight of a ten-cent piece, and they were very soon wide awake.
I have the honour to be,
Pir. B. C. AYRES, Esq., M.R.C.S., &c.,
Colonial Surgeon and Inspector of Hospitals.
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
HUGH MCCALLUM,
Analyst.
Blank wall no apertures in it or forming Kitchen
wall of another house back to back with this.
Kitchen.
Kitchen.
Kitchen.
Floor of Loft.
Floor of Loft.
Floor of Loft.
Shop.
The black lines show the original designs of the house, which is composed of a base three rooms and then kitchens. Afterwards the system is to divide the three big rooms into small partitions, a The average height of room thirty feet long by sixteen wide would divide into eight smaller rooms. each room is fourteen or fifteen feet then admits of a sort of loft being built within the room which is divided into partitions similar to the floor below, under these circumstances there would be sixteen partitions in each room each inhabited by a separate family.
Downspout,...
Chimney,
" Kitchen.
Doors.
Airhole.
Passage.
Staircase.
Window.
Window.
This is a linear ground plan of one of the rooms and kitchens. Dotted lines show in both plans how the partitions are arranged, and how a common passage is made for the use of those inhabiting the partitions leading to the kitchen and staircase which is common to all. The windows in front of this staircase form the means of ventilation in front, the door leading into the kitchen and the air hole in the kitchen roof leading into the next floor kitchen in the case of the first and second stories and into the open air in the third and the narrow chimneys are the means of ventilation at the back. pure air that gets into a house It will thus be seen that very little, very little indeed, is the amount of of this description. The front rooms vary in length from 30 to 60 feet; they are rarely wider than 16 In one of these rooms The average height 14 feet. feet. The kitchens are about 6 feet by 10 feet. 30 feet by 16 fect divided as described from 24 to 50 people, men, women and children included live. In a house of this description I have seen 170 pigs kept, besides the above mentioned number of human beings.
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