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in the divans. It is not, however, known whether any smokers smoked either one or the other indiscriminately according to their inclination at the moment.
33. In several cases smokers in opium divans were found smoking pills which on analysis proved to contain no substance usually classed as a narcotic. Such pills were found always to contain caffeine as the chief constituent, together with quinine, cinchonine, aspirin or strychnine. The colour was as a rule a very pale pink, and the pills were more roughly made than the genuine kind. The number of cases where such were found being consumed in opium divans tended to give rise to the question as to whether caffeine was not the chief ingredient demanded by the smoker, and that heroin was perhaps a refinement unnecessary for the unsophisticated.
34. One small seizure was made of black pills which in appearance were similar to the anti-opium pills freely sold twenty years ago in China, in the days of strict opium suppression, and composed mostly of opium dross. Analysis, however, proved them to be ordinary heroin pills of excellent quality, the only difference being that some very persistent blue-black dye was used in the mix instead of the usual red or pink dye. Presumably the alteration in colour was with the idea of passing them off as ordinary Chinese medicinal pills, many of which are black.
35. Four seizures were made of materials and apparatus for the manufacture of heroin pills, in one case though the factory was not actually working when raided, work had been suspended not long before. In the other three cases the materials were not set out and were apparently in course of removal or arrangement in new premises. The materials seized included the following, refined, icing and milk sugar, gum acacia, gum tragacanth, various pink or red dyes especially fuchine, aspirin, quinine, salicylic acid, strychnine, caffeine in considerable quantity, atoxicocaine, and strong nitric acid. Heroin was actually discovered in one case only. It was reported that the small quantity of heroin required was brought in by the actual owner of the factory just as it was required when all the other constituents had been added. No formula was found, which could be deciphered.
36. In one case a mass of material was found for making pills of various colours ranging from a very pale to a deep pink and from pale yellow to almost brown. No heroin was found in these pills, but only codeine and caffeine, and two bottles containing a mixture of codeine and caffeine. Though this mixture was not illegal, the person concerned did not claim the material. Though pills of much the same variety of colours were afterwards seized they were found to contain heroin.
No pills containing codeine and caffeine were found elsewhere.
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in the divans. It is not, however, known whether any smokers smoked either one or the other indiscriminately according to their inclination at the moment.
33. In several cases smokers in opium divans were found smoking pills which on analysis proved to contain no substance usually classed as a narcotic. Such pills were found always to contain caffeine as the chief constituent, together with quinine, cinchonine, aspirin or strychnine. The colour was as a rule a very pale pink, and the pills were more roughly made than the genuine kind. The number of cases where such were found being consumed in opium divans tended to give rise to the question as to whether caffeine was not the chief ingredient de- manded by the smoker, and that heroin was perhaps a refine- ment unnecessary for the unsophisticated.
34. One small seizure was made of black pills which in appearance were similar to the anti-opium pills freely sold twenty years ago in China, in the days of strict opium sup- pression, and composed mostly of opium dross. Analysis, how- ever, proved them to be ordinary heroin pills of excellent quality, the only difference being that some very persistent blue- black dye was used in the mix instead of the usual red or pink dye. Presumably the alteration in colour was with the idea of passing them off as ordinary Chinese medicinal pills, many of which are black.
35. Four seizures were made of materials and apparatus for the manufacture of heroin pills, in one case though the factory was not actually working when raided, work had been suspended not long before. In the other three cases the materials were not set out and were apparently in course of removal or arrange- ment in new premises. The materials seized included the following, refined, icing and milk sugar, gum acacia, gum tragacanth, various pink or red dyes especially fuchine, aspirin, quinine, salicylic acid, strychnine, caffeine in considerable quan- tity, atoxicocaine, and strong nitric acid. Heroin was actually discovered in one case only. It was reported that the small quantity of heroin required was brought in by the actual owner of the factory just as it was required when all the other con- stituents had been added. No formula was found, which could be decyphered.
36. In one case a mass of material was found for making pills of various colours ranging from a very pale to a deep pink and from pale yellow to almost brown. No heroin was found in these pills, but only codeine and caffeine, and two bottles containing a mixture of codeine and caffeine. Though this mix- ture was not illegal, the person concerned did not claim the material. Though pills of much the same variety of colours were afterwards seized they were found to contain heroin.
No pills containing codeine and caffeine were found elsewhere.
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