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The following tabulated statement explains and gives the result of experiment :--
Description of Samples
of
Prepared Opium
submitted for trial.
Opinion of a Chinese Expert in one of the Opium Firms, Hongkong.
Opinion of a nine years' Opium Smoker.
No. 1. Prepared Opium from | Is fairly good, is a mixture of Bengal Opium and something | Good.
Opium Farm.
else.
No. 2. Prepared Opium minus Is black and coarse, smell fairly good, is not Opium.
Morphine.
No. 3. No. 1 with 10 per
cent. Morphine added.
No 4. No. 1 with 20 per
cent. Morphine added.
Not very good.
Coarse but can be smoked, contains Opium with some other Same as No. 1.
mixture, is not so good as No. 1.
Very coarse and black, burns like charcoal, contains no Opium. Fairly good but not so good
as No. 1 and No. 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.
Opinion of a Chinese Expert in one of the Opium Farms, Hongkong,
Opinion of a nine years'
Opium Smoker.
No. 1. Opium Farm Prepar- |
ed Opium contains 7 per cent. Morphine.
No. 2. No. 1 with 15 per
cent. Morphine added.
No. 3. No 1 with 25 per
cent. Morphine added.
Appearance coarse and when burnt becomes black and hard, Very good.
it is Bengal drug but not pure, it is mixed with some other stuff and has no taste.
Burns very quick and has no taste or smell of Opium at all. Colour red and coarse when burnt, gives out plenty of smoke and leaves simply ash and no Opium to smoke.
Just like No. 2, only a shade better.
No. 4. Prepared Opium minus When applied to the light burns like Opium, but in a moment
Morphine.
it burns quite black and the dross leaves a bad smell, when burning gives out strong smoke.
Same as No. 1.
Not good.
Same as No. 1,
It will be observed that the Chinese expert bases bis 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 eating 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 maximum 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 profound 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,
Sir,
Pu. B. C. AYRES, Esq., M.R.C.S. &c.,
Colonial Surgeon and Inspector of Hospitals.
Your most obedient Servant,
HUGH MCCALLUM.
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