In Egypt.—The variety of poppy grown in Egypt is the same as that cultivated in Asia Minor. The production of opium is said to be in the hands of the Government, and to he restricted to the actual requirements of the sanitary establishments. On the other hand, it is openly exported. Tho cultivation is carried on iu Upper Egypt, near Esneh, Kenneh, and Siout, where about 10,000 acres were said to be occupied by it in 1863. The capsules are incised in March, by drawing a knife twice round them transversely ; the concreted juice is scraped off next day by a scoop-knife, collected on a leaf, and placed in the sun to harden. With due care, the product is of sufficiently good quality, containing 10-12 per cent. of morphine ; but the plants are usually grown in too moist soil, and the scarification is often prematurely performed, and these circumstances combine with wilful adulteration to reduce the morphine to 3-4 per cent. on the average. The drug occurs in European commerce in the form of hard, flattish cakes, about 4 in. in diameter, covered with fragments of poppy leaf, but free from Rumex chaff. The fractured surface is finely porous, and dark liver-coloured, and reveals shiny imbedded particles and reddish-yellow points, besides occasional starch granules. In 1872, the United Kingdom imported 9636 lb., value 5023l., of opium from Egypt ; in 1879, the values of the total Egyptian exports were—to Italy, 9901. ; France, 630/. ; Greece, 540/. ; Turkey, 150/. ; total, 2310/.
Preparation and Use.—As a narcotic, opium is used one of three ways :—(1) Swallowed in the form of pills, or (2) as a fluid tincture ; (3) smoked in pipes. The first practioe prevails mostly in Asia Minor and Persia, the second is that usually adopted by Christians who become addicted to it, the third is general among the Chinese, Malays, &c., who consume about ,*, of the whole world's production. The Chinese, before smoking the opium, subject it to a process of extraction in water. This is largely done in Hong Kong and in the opium-vessels. The Bengal opium as received is removed from the outer covering of poppy-trash, &c., moistened, and allowed to stand for about 14 hours. It is then placed in shallow pans made of some copper alloy, built into furnaces, and heated by charcoal fires ; 2i cakes of opium and 10 pints of water go into each pan, being boiled and occa sionally stirred till a uniform thin paste is produced, occupying 5-6 hours. This paste is transferred to a larger pan, and the bulk is made up to 3 gal. by adding cold water ; it is covered, and left for 14-15 hours. A bunch of vegetable pith used for lamp-wick is then inserted into the mass, the pan is tipped, and a rich, clear, brown fluid ie drawn off and filtered through bamboo paper. The residue is put on a calico filter, and thoroughly washed with boiling water, the wash-water being reboiled and repeatedly used. The last washing is done with pure water, and all the washinga are used for the next day's boiling. The residues are transferred from the calico filters to a larger one, and are well pressed ; the insoluble residue, called nai chai ("opium dirt "), is mostly sent to Canton, where it is used in the manufacture of inferior " prepared " opium. The filtrate or opium solution is evaporated at the boiling point, with occasional stirring, till of the proper consistence, requiring 3-4 hours. It is then removed from the fire, and stirred vigorously till cold, the cooling being hastened by fanning ; when cold, it has the consistence of thin treacly extract, and is known as " prepared " or t` boiled " opium. It is kept for some montha before acquiring prime condition, and is then sent out sealed up in small pots.
The Chinese recognise four grades of opium :-(1) The " raw " as imported ; (2) " prepared," as just deacribed ; (3) "dirt," the insoluble residue after exhaustion in water ; (4) "dross," the scrapings from the pipe, being the unconaumed ash, which is re-manufactured as a second-class " prepared" opium, being about 50 per cent. of the amount placed in the pipe for smoking. In China, the pipe is prepared by placing a little pill of the drug upon a needle, so that it recta exactly over the central bole in the pipe-bowl ; a lamp is then applied to ignite it, and the vapours are drawn deeply into the chest, and slowly exhaled through the nose and ears. In Borneo, Java, and Sumatra, the liquid extract is mixed with finely chopped tobacco and betel-nut till absorbed, and pills of this are placed in the pipe.
Nature and Properties.-Opium contains no lees than 17 distinct alkaloids, in very variable proportions, but two only are of importance in determining its value as a narcotic : these are morphine NO,), the more valuable ; and narcotine II„ NO,). Of European opiums, aomo French samples have given and 14.96 per cent. of morphine respectively; German specimens afforded 20, 12-15 (Wurtemberg) and 9-10 per cent. (Silesia). A pure American opium, from Vermont State, showed per cent. of morphine, and 2 per cent. of narcotine. The Asia Minor article resembles the European : the maximum recorded is per cent., while the mean of 8 samples was and of 12 others, per cent. ; from several cases of Smyrna opium, 12-13 per cent. of pure morphine was got from the fresh, moist drug; and of 92 other specimens, one half yielded over 10 per cent., and the richest was 17.2 per cent. Thus it may be assumed that good Turkey opium dried at 100° (212°F.) should give 12-15 per cent. of morphine, and that less than 10 may indicate adulteration. The Persian drug is extremely unequal from adulteration, but sometimes very good ; four samples have given and per cent. of morphine ; and other samples undried, 8-10.75 per cent. The Indian opiums are remarkable for their low percentage of morphine, due probably to the long period during which the juice is kept in a moist state, not less than to climatic influences. Samples of Benares opium gave only and 3.21 per cent. of morphine. Khandesh specimens showed 6.07 and 7 per cent. Patna garden opium, prepared exclusively for medicinal use, afforded 8'6 per cent. of morphine and 4 per cent. of narcotinc, while another sample gave per cent. of morphine. Various other samples of Indian opiums yielded the following percentages of morphine :-Medical, 41 ; Behar garden, 4.6 ; Abkari, Sind, ; Hyderabad, (and 5.4 narcotine) ; Malwa, 1. Chinese native opiums are as a rule about the same, thus :-Szechuen, 2.2 ; Kweichow, 2.5 ; Yunnan, 4.1 ; Kansu, ; another Szechuen sample, 31; and another from Kweichow, 6.1 ; whilst one Chinese specimen, undried, afforded per cent. of morphine, and 7.5 of nareotine. A sample of Egyptian opium yielded 5.8 per cent. of morphine and of narcotine. The propor tions of narcotine in opiums differ quite as much. A German sample gave 10.9 per cent. ; some Turkish and Persian specimens varied from 11 to 9.9 per cent. The Khandesh (Indian) opium previously mentioned gave 7.7 per cent. ; and E. Indian Government opium frequently contains twice as much narcotine as morphine. In the practical estimation of the value of an opium, by the British pharmacist, the only conditions considered are the percentages of water and of morphine. (See Alkalies [Organic]-Morphine, p. 231).