Chapter XXX: Front Matter (30)

=Ointment of Sulphate of Man′′ganese.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM MANGANESI SULPHATIS, L. _Prep._ From sulphate of manganese, 1 fl. dr.; lard or simple ointment, 1 oz. Alterative and discutient; in similar cases to those in which MECURIAL OINTMENT is employed.

=Ointment of Sulphate of Zinc.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM ZINCI SULPHATIS, L. _Prep._ (Scarpa.) Sulphate of zinc (in very fine powder), 1 dr.; lard, 1 oz. In some chronic skin diseases attended with a lax state of the tissues, and as a dressing to scrofulous tumours after they have separated and the abscess has been discharged.

=Ointment of Sulphur.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM SULPHURIS (B. P., Ph. L., E., & D.) _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Sulphur, 1/2 lb.; lard, 1 lb. In the Ph. L. 1836 oil of bergamot, 40 drops, were added. (See 5, Compound.)

2. (Ph. E.) Sulphur, 1 oz.; lard, 4 oz.

3. (Ph. D.) Sulphur, 1 lb.; lard, 4 lbs.

4. (B. P.) Sublimed sulphur, 1; benzoated lard, 4; mix.

_Uses, &c._ In itch, scald-head, &c., in the first of which it is specific. It should be well rubbed in every night until the disease is cured; “but not more than one fourth part of the body should be covered with it at a time.” (A. T. Thomson.)

5. (Compound; ITCH OINTMENT; UNGUENTUM SULPHURIS COMPOSITUM——Ph. L.)——_a._ (Ph. L.) Nitrate of potassa (powdered), 40 gr.; white hellebore (powdered), 10 dr.; sulphur and soft soap, of each 4 oz.; lard, 1 lb.; rub them together.

_b._ (P. Cod.) Alum and sal ammoniac, of each, 1/2 oz.; sulphur, 8 oz.; lard, 16 oz.

_Uses, &c._ In itch, as the simple ointment (1, 2, and 3.) They are more efficacious, but, owing to the presence of white hellebore, the Ph. L. preparation is apt to cause irritation in persons with delicate skins. See OINTMENT, ITCH.

=Ointment of Sulphuret of Mercury.= See OINTMENT OF RED SULPHURET OF MERCURY.

=Ointment of Sulphurated Potash.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM POTASSÆ SULPHURATE (B. P.) Sulphurated potash, 30 gr.; triturate, and add prepared lard, 1 oz.; mix. See also next preparation.

=Ointment of Sulphuret of Potas′sium.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM POTASSI SULPHURETI, L. _Prep._ 1. Sulphuret of potassium (dry and in fine powder), 1 dr.; lard, 9 dr. Alibert adds 1 dr. of carbonate of soda.

2. Sulphuret of potassium, 2-1/2 dr.; lard and soft soap, of each 1 oz.; olive oil, 1/2 oz. In several chronic skin diseases, as itch, psoriasis, ringworm, lepra, eczema, &c.

=Ointment of Sulphuret of So′dium.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM SODII SULPHURETI, L. _Prep._ (Swediaur.) Sulphuret of sodium, 3 dr.; lard, 1-1/2 oz. In itch, for which it is very cleanly and effective. The last two ointments are most powerful when recently prepared.

=Ointment of Sulphuric Ac′id.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM ACIDI SULPHURICI, L. _Prep._ 1. (Dr Duncan.) Sulphuric acid, 1 dr.; lard, 2 oz.

2. (Ph. D. 1826.) Sulphuric acid, 1 dr.; lard, 1 oz.; mix.

_Uses, &c._ Black, fetid; in itch. It is now seldom used. With oil of turpentine it has been used as a stimulating liniment in rheumatism. An ointment made of 1-1/2 dr. of dilute sulphuric acid to 1 oz. of lard is a good application in prurigo.

=Ointment, Sulta′na.= Spermaceti and white wax, of each 1/4 oz.; oil of almonds and butter of cacao, of each 1/4 lb.; melt together, add of balsam of Peru, 1 dr., stir constantly for a few minutes, and after it has settled pour off the clear portion; to this add of orange-flower water, 2 fl. dr., and stir the mixture constantly until it concretes. A very agreeable species of cold cream.

=Ointment of Tan′nate of Lead.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM PLUMBI TANNATIS, L. _Prep._ 1. Tannate of lead, 1-1/2 dr.; powdered camphor, 20 gr.; spermaceti ointment, 7 dr. In inflamed piles, &c.

2. (Sundelin.) Decoction of oak bark, 6 fl. oz.; solution of diacetate of lead, 1-1/2 oz.; mix, collect and drain the precipitate, and mix it, whilst still moist, with lard, 1 oz.; camphor, 10 gr. In bedsores.

=Ointment of Tan′nin.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM TANNINI, U. ACIDI TANNICI, L. _Prep._ (Richard.) Tannin, 2 dr.; water, 2 fl. dr.; triturate them together, then add of lard, 1-1/2 oz. Astringent and hæmostatic. In piles, prolapsus, &c. It is a very cleanly and effective application.

=Ointment of Tar.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM PICIS LIQUIDÆ (Ph. L. E. & D.), L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. L.) Tar and suet, of each 1 lb.; melt them together, and press the mixture through a linen cloth.

2. (Ph. E.) Tar, 5 oz.; beeswax, 2 oz.; melt together, and stir the mixture briskly until it concretes.

3. (Ph. D.) Tar, 1/2 pint; yellow wax, 4 oz.; as the last.

_Uses, &c._ As a detergent application in ringworm, scald-head, scabby eruptions, foul ulcers, &c. It should be, in general, at first diluted with half of its weight of lard or oil. See also OINTMENT OF PITCH.

=Ointment of Tartar Emet′ic.= See OINTMENT OF POTASSIO-TARTRATE OF ANTIMONY.

=Ointment of Tin, Chloride= (Nanche). _Syn._ UNGUENTUM STANNI CHLORIDI. _Prep._ Perchloride of tin, 1-1/2 grain; lard, 1 oz. Mix.

=Ointment of Tin, Oxide= (Bate). _Syn._ UNGUENTUM STANNI OXIDI. Oxide of tin rubbed with oil of St John’s wort was formerly applied for the cure of blindness; with Localette’s balsam and honey, for the cure of indolent ulcers.

=Ointment of Tobac′co.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM TABACI, L. _Prep._ 1. (Chippendale.) Extract of tobacco, 1 dr.; lard, 1 oz. As a friction in neuralgia.

2. (Ph. U. S.) Fresh tobacco leaves, 1 oz.; lard, 12 oz.; as ointment of hemlock. As an anodyne application in irritable ulcers, ringworm, prurigo, and some other skin diseases.

=Ointment, Tripharm′ic.= _Syn._ OINTMENT OF THREE THINGS; UNGUENTUM TRIPHARMACUM, L. _Prep._ From lead plaster, 4 oz.; olive oil, 2 fl. oz.; distilled vinegar, 1 fl. oz.; melt together, and stir until they combine, and a proper consistence is obtained. Cooling and desiccative; formerly greatly esteemed as a dressing.

=Ointment, Trooper’s.= See OINTMENT, MERCURIAL.

=Ointment of Turpentine.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM TEREBINTHINÆ (B. P.) _Prep._ 1. (Guy’s Hosp.) Camphor, 1 dr.; oil of turpentine, 1 to 2 fl. dr.; dissolve, and add of resin of cerate, 1 oz. As a stimulant and anodyne friction in nephritic and rheumatic pains, engorgements, &c.

2. (Ph. Austr.) Turpentine, 2 lbs.; simple ointment, 1 lb.; mix by a gentle heat. As a stimulant dressing.

3. (B. P.) Oil of turpentine, 16; camphor, 1; soft soap, 2; dissolve the camphor in the turpentine, add the soap, and rub till thoroughly mixed.

=Ointment of Tut′ty.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM ZINCI OXYDI IMPURI, U. TUTIÆ, L. _Prep._ From prepared tutty, 1 part; simple ointment, 5 parts; mix by trituration. Formerly in great repute in ophthalmic practice, more particularly in inflammation, &c., of the eyelids. See OINTMENT OF OXIDE OF ZINC.

=Ointment of Vera′trine.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM VERATRIÆ (B. P.); POMMADE DE VERATRINE; Fr. _Prep._ 1. (Magendie.) Veratrine, 4 gr.; lard, 1 oz.; mixed by careful trituration.

2. (Pereira.) Veratrine, 30 gr.; lard, 1 oz.

3. (Turnbull.) Veratrine, 10 to 20 gr.; olive oil, 1 dr.; triturate, and add of spermaceti ointment, 1 oz.

4. Veratria, 8 gr.; prepared lard, 1 oz.; olive oil, 1/2 dr.; rub the veratria and the oil together, then mix thoroughly with the lard.

_Uses, &c._ As a friction in neuralgia, neuralgic rheumatism, gout, dropsy, &c. A piece about the size of a hazel nut is to be rubbed for 10 or 15 minutes over the seat of pain, twice a day. It must not be applied where the skin is unsound, nor to a large surface at a time, and the greatest caution must be used, on account of the extremely poisonous character of veratrine.

=Ointment of Ver′digris.= _Syn._ OINTMENT OF SUBACETATE OF COPPER; UNGUENTUM ÆRUGINIS (Ph. E.), U. CUPRI SUBACETATIS (Ph. D.). L. _Prep._ 1. (Ph. E.) Resinous ointment, 15 oz.; melt by a gentle heat, sprinkle into it of verdigris (in very fine powder), 1 oz., and stir the mixture briskly until it concretes.

2. (Ph. D.) Prepared subacetate of copper, 1/2 dr.; ointment of white wax, 7-1/2 dr.; mix by trituration.

_Uses, &c._ Detergent and escharotic; as an occasional dressing to foul and flabby ulcers, to keep down fungous-flesh, and, diluted with oil or lard, in scrofulous ulceration and inflammation of the eyelids.

=Ointment of Vin′egar.= _Syn._ ACETIC OINTMENT; UNGUENTUM ACETI, U. ACIDI ACETICI, L. _Prep._ 1. (Dr Cheston.) Olive oil, 1 lb.; white wax, 4 oz.; melt them together by a gentle heat, add of strong vinegar, 2 fl. oz., and stir until the mixture concretes. As a cooling astringent dressing, and as an application in chronic ophthalmia.

2. (W. Cooley.) Acetate of morphia, 6 gr.; acetic acid (Ph. L.) and water, of each 1-1/2 fl. dr.; dissolve, add the solution to simple ointment (melted), 1-1/2 oz., and stir the mixture briskly until nearly cold. In chronic ophthalmia, painful inflamed piles, &c.; also to remove freckles, and to allay itching and irritation in several skin diseases.

=Ointment of Walnut Leaves= (_Negrier_). _Syn._ UNGUENTUM JUGLANDIS. _Prep._ Extract of walnut leaves, 3 drams; lard, 4 drams; oil of bergamot, 1 drop. Mix.

=Ointment, White.= Both SPERMACETI OINTMENT and OINTMENT OF CARBONATE OF LEAD were formerly so called, but the name is now obsolete. The CAMPHORATED WHITE OINTMENT of the Ph. L. of 1746 (UNG. ALBUM CAMPHORATUM) was spermaceti ointment to which a little camphor had been added.

=Ointment of White Precipitate.= _Syn._ OINTMENT OF AMMONIATED MERCURY; UNGUENTUM HYDRARGYRI AMMONIATI. (B. P.) Ammoniated mercury, 62 gr.; simple ointment, 1 oz. Mix. See OINTMENT OF AMMONIO-CHLORIDE OF MERCURY.

=Ointment of White Wax.= See OINTMENT, SIMPLE.

=Ointment of Wolfsbane.= See OINTMENT OF ACONITE.

=Ointment of Wood Soot.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM FULIGINIS. _Prep._ Wood soot and lard, of each equal parts. Mix.

=Ointment of Wood Soot (Compound).= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM FULIGINIS COMPOSITUM. Acetic extract of wood soot, 4 dr.; dried salt, 10 dr.; lard, 14 oz. For ringworm.

=Ointment for Worms.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM ANTHELMINTICUM, U. VERMIFUGUM, L. _Prep._ 1. (Boerhaave.) Aloes and ox-gall, of each 1 part; marshmallow ointment, 8 parts.

2. (Fr. Hosp.) Aloes and oil of tansy, of each 1 part; dried ox-gall, 2 parts (both in fine powder); lard, 8 parts.

3. (Ph. Bat.) Aloes, 1 dr.; dried ox-gall and petroleum, of each 1-1/2 dr.; lard, 1-1/2 oz.

4. (Soubeiran.) Powdered aloes, 2 dr.; lard, 1 oz.

_Uses, &c._ The above are purgative and vermifuge, applied as frictions to the abdomen. They are chiefly employed for children and delicate females. See OINTMENT, COLOCYNTH.

=Ointment of Yel′low Wax.= _Syn._ UNGUENTUM CERÆ FLAVÆ, L. _Prep._ (Ph. D. 1826.) Beeswax, 1 lb.; lard, 4 lbs.; melt them together. A mild emollient dressing. Some parties regard it as more ‘healing’ than the OINTMENT OF WHITE WAX.

=Ointment of Zinc.= 1. See OINTMENT OF OXIDE OF ZINC.

2. (Compound); UNGUENTUM ZINCI COMPOSITUM, L.——_a._ (Hufeland.) Oxide of zinc and lycopodium, of each 1 dr.; simple ointment, 1 oz. In excoriations and simple ulcerations, especially those of the eyelids, nipples, &c.

_b._ (Thomson.) Oxide of zinc, 1/2 dr.; powdered opium, 5 gr.; lard, 1 oz. As the last, when there is much pain.

=Ointment of Zinc, Cyanide= (Cunier). _Syn._ UNGUENTUM ZINCI CYANIDI. _Prep._ Cyanide of zinc, 12 grains; lard, 5 drams; butter of cacao, 5 drams. Mix.

=OINTMENTS (Flower of).= _Syn._ FLOS UNGUENTORUM, L. _Prep._ From resin, thus, wax, and suet, of each 1/2 lb.; olibanum and Venice turpentine, of each 2-1/2 oz.; myrrh, 1 oz.; wine, 1/2 pint; boil them together, and, lastly, add of camphor, 2 dr. Suppurative; warming.

=O′LEFIANT GAS.= C_{3}H_{4}. _Syn._ ETHYLENE, HEAVY CARBONETTED HYDROGEN, HEAVY CARBURETTED H., ELAYL, ETHENE. A substance discovered by some associated Dutch chemists, in 1795, and composed of carbon and hydrogen in the proportions expressed by C_{2}H_{2} or C_{4}H_{4}.

_Prep._ 1. A mixture of alcohol (rectified spirit), 1 part, and oil of vitriol, 6 parts, is heated in a retort until it blackens, and sulphurous acid begins to be evolved; the product is then passed first through a wash-bottle containing a solution of caustic potassa or milk of lime, and next through a bottle containing concentrated sulphuric acid, the last being furnished with a tube dipping into the water of the pneumatic trough.

2. The vapour of boiling alcohol is passed into a mixture of oil of vitriol diluted with rather less than one half its weight of water, and so heated as to be in a state of tranquil ebullition (320° to 330° Fahr.); the gaseous product is chiefly olefiant gas, and the vapour of water, from which it may be separated as above. No sulphurous acid is formed, nor does the acid blacken as in the last process.

_Prop., &c._ Colourless; neutral; nearly odourless; nearly insoluble in water; alcohol, ether, and the volatile and fixed oils, absorb a portion of it; burns with a brilliant white flame; at a full red heat it suffers decomposition, with deposit of carbon and liberation of light carburetted hydrogen gas; mixed with twice its volume of chlorine and inflamed, hydrochloric acid is formed, and the carbon of the gas is precipitated in the form of dense black soot; if the mixture (best in equal volumes), instead of being kindled, be left standing over water, it soon condenses into a heavy oily liquid (chloride of olefiant gas, Dutch liquid). Sp. gr. ·981; 100 cubic inches weigh 30·57 gr.

=Olefiant Gas, Bromide of.= _Syn._ BROMIDE OF ETHYLENE. From bromine and olefiant gas as Dutch liquid. A colourless liquid, with an ethereal odour, boiling at 265°, and solidifying at 0° Fahr. Sp. gr. 2·16.

=Olefiant Gas, Chlo′′ride of.= _Syn._ DUTCH LIQUID, CHLORIDE OF ETHYLENE. This substance, referred to above, may be easily prepared in any quantity by the following process:——Chlorine and olefiant gas (the latter a little in excess) are conveyed by separate tubes (passing through the same cork) into a glass globe, having a narrow funnel-shaped neck at its lower part, dipping into a small bottle destined to receive the product of their mutual reaction: the newly formed liquid trickles down the sides of the globe into the receiver, and when a sufficient quantity is collected, it is purified by agitating it first with water, and then with sulphuric acid, and, lastly, submitting it to distillation.

_Prop., &c._ Colourless; sweet-tasted; agreeably fragrant, the odour approaching that of oil of caraway; slightly soluble in water; freely so in alcohol and ether; it sinks in water; boils at 180° Fahr.; burns with a smoky greenish flame; is unaffected by oil of vitriol; but decomposed by solution of caustic potassa. It combines with chlorine, forming new compounds. See CHLORIDES OF CARBON (page 403).

=OLEIC ACID.= HC_{18}H_{33}O_{2}. _Syn._ ELAIC ACID. One of the fatty acids discovered by Chevreul, and produced by saponifying oils, and then separating the base from the resulting soap by means of a dilute acid. It now forms an important secondary product in the manufacture of stearic acid. Perfectly pure oleic acid may be obtained as follows:——

1. By saponifying olein, as just noticed.

2. Pure almond or olive-oil soap is decomposed by a dilute acid, and the resulting oily acid is digested in a water bath with half its weight of litharge (in very fine powder) for some hours, constantly stirring; the mixture is then agitated with twice its volume of ether in a close vessel, and in 24 hours the clear ethereal solution is decanted, and decomposed with dilute hydrochloric acid; the oleic acid separates, and the ether mixed with it is expelled by evaporation. To render it colourless, the acid is again saponified with caustic soda, and the soap thus retained is repeatedly dissolved in a solution of soda, and as often separated by adding common salt; this soap is, lastly, decomposed by dilute hydrochloric acid, as before.

3. (H. N. Fraser, pharmacist.) Oil of cotton seeds (‘winter oil’), deprived of most of its stearin by chilling and pressure, is first saponified with potassa, using a slight excess of the base. The soap is then treated with tartaric acid, or any other acid which will make a soluble salt with potassa, until the base is completely neutralised; the residue is washed until a mass is left about the consistence and colour of cerate, free from any of the salt; this is heated for several hours with nearly its weight of litharge, and three or four times its bulk of water; the resulting compound is shaken up while yet warm with ether, and allowed to stand until all the soluble matter separates.

This separates the stearate, and leaves a nearly pure oleate of lead. The clear liquor is decanted and briskly shaken with dilute muriatic acid for a few minutes to precipitate all the chloride of lead, the lighter liquid washed to remove traces of muriatic acid and filtered; the filtrate heated slowly in a water bath, and the ether distilled until the residue ceases to have an ethereal odour. The product is about 60 per cent. of the bulk of the oil.

Crude oleic acid may be purified as follows:——Expose it repeatedly to a temperature of about 45° F., and express the liquid portion. With this mix an equal bulk of solution of sulphurous acid, place the mixture in the light, and shake it frequently until no more colour is discharged. After separation the oleic acid is to be washed repeatedly with cold distilled water, and put into bottles, which should be kept filled up and in a cool place.

_Prop., &c._ A colourless oily acid, insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol, ether, and oil; with the bases it forms salts called oleates. The best kind of oleic acid is known as “pale cloth oil.”

O’LEIN. C_{57}H_{104}O_{6}. _Syn._ ELAIN; HUILE ABSOLUE, Fr. The liquid portion of the fixed oils and fats. By saponification it yields oleic acid.

_Prep._ 1. Olive oil or almond oil is digested for 24 hours with a quantity of caustic soda lye, only sufficient to saponify one half of the oil, and the undecomposed oily portion (olein) is then separated from the alkaline solution and newly formed stearine soap.

2. The saponified mixture of oil and alkali (see No. 1) is digested with proof spirit until all the soap is dissolved out, and the olein separates and floats on the surface; the latter, after repose, is decanted.

3. Almond or olive oil is agitated in a stout bottle with 7 or 8 times its weight of strong alcohol (sp. gr. ·798), at nearly the boiling point, until the whole is dissolved; the solution is next allowed to cool, after which the clear upper stratum is decanted from the stearin which has been deposited, and, after filtration, the spirit is removed by distillation at a gentle heat; by exposure at a very low temperature it deposits any remaining stearin, and then becomes pure.

_Prop., &c._ The products of the last two formulæ have only a very slight yellow colour, but may be rendered quite limpid and colourless by digestion for 24 hours with a little pure, freshly burnt animal charcoal, and subsequent filtration. In this state the olein is perfectly neutral to test paper, does not in the slightest degree affect metallic bodies immersed in it, and does not thicken by exposure to the greatest cold. Olein is used by watchmakers for their fine work. Some years ago the product of the last formula was sold, by a certain metropolitan house, as ‘watchmakers’ oil,’ at 1s. 6d. a drachm. Commercial olein is generally lard oil. The refined oleic acid of the stearin works also commonly passes under the name. Olein burns well in lamps; but oleic acid does not do so unless when well refined, and when the wick-tube is so formed as to remain cool. See LARD OIL and OLEIC ACID.

OLEOM’ETER. _Syn._ ELAÏOMETER, ELÆOMETER, OIL-BALANCE. A delicate areometer or hydrometer, so weighted and graduated as to adapt itself to the densities of the leading fixed oils. As the differences of the specific gravities of these substances are inconsiderable, to render it more susceptible the bulb of the instrument is proportionately large, and the tube or stem very narrow. The scale of the oleometer in general use (Gobby’s) is divided into 50 degrees, and it floats at 0 or zero in pure poppy oil, at 38 or 38-1/2 in pure almond oil, and at 50 in pure olive oil. The standard temperature of the instruments made in this country is now 60°; those made on the Continent, 54·5° Fahr. The oil must therefore be brought to this normal temperature before testing it, by plunging the glass cylinder containing it into either hot or cold water, as the case may be; or a correction of the observed density must be made. The last is done by deducting 2 from the indication of the instrument for each degree of the thermometer above the normal temperature of the instrument, and adding 2 for every degree below it. Thus: suppose the temperature of the oil at the time of the experiment is 60° Fahr., and the oleometer indicates 61°; then——

60·0° Actual temperature.
54·5° Normal temperature.
————
5·5° Difference.

Indication of the oleometer 61·0
The difference 5·5 × 2 = 11·0
————
Real density 50·0

Suppose the temperature observed at the time of the experiment is 52°, and the oleometer indicates 45°; then——

54·5 Normal temperature.
52·0 Actual temperature.
————
2·5 Difference.
————

Indication of the oleometer 45·0
The difference 2·5 × 2 = 5·0
————
Real density 50·0
————

The oil is, therefore, presumed to be pure. See HYDROMETER, OILS (Fixed), and SPECIFIC GRAVITY.

=O′LEO-PHOSPHOR′IC ACID.= An acid compound found by Fremy in the brain and nervous matter.

=OLEO-RES′INS.= The natural compounds of resin and essential oil forming the vegetable balsams and turpentines. Copaiba, Canada balsam, and Venice turpentine are examples. Certain extracts prepared with ether, as the fluid extracts of cubebs and pepper in the Ph. U. S., may be regarded as oleo-resins. See EXTRACT.

=OLEO-SAC′CHARUM.= _Syn._ ELÆOSACCHARUM. Sugar aromatised or medicated by being rubbed up with an essential oil. The oleosacchara of aniseed, caraway, cinnamon, peppermint, pennyroyal, and the other like essential oils, are made by rubbing 15 to 20 drops of the respective oils with white sugar, 1 oz.——The Ph. Græca 1837 prescribes 1 part of oil to 20 parts of sugar.——The Ph. Austr. 1836 and Ph. Bor. order the same proportions, or 3 drops of oil to the dr., and 24 drops to the oz., of powdered sugar. When intended for making extemporaneous distilled waters, 1 dr. of magnesia is a common addition. The oleosacchara of citrons, lemons, oranges, &c., are made from the peels, as follows:——After cleaning off any specks in the outer rind of the fruit, rub a large piece of loaf sugar on it until the yellow rind is completely removed. Those parts of the sugar which are impregnated with the essence are, from time to time, to be cut away with a knife, and put into an earthen pot. The whole being thus taken off, the sugared essence (oleosaccharum) is to be closely pressed down in the pot, tied over with bladder, and preserved in a cool place for use.

=OLIB′ANUM.= _Syn._ OLIBAN, INDIAN OLIBANUM, FRANKINCENSE. A gum resin obtained from _Boswellia thurifera_ or _serrata_. It is stimulant, astringent, and diaphoretic. It is burnt as incense in the temples of India and in Roman Catholic churches. African or Arabian olibanum is produced by _Boswellia floribunda_. (Royle.) This substance must not be confounded with the resin noticed at page 761.

=Olibanum.= This gum resin is yielded by two varieties of the plant known as _Boswellia_——one the _B. floribunda_, being a native of Africa, the other, the _B. serrata_, growing in Asia. Olibanum occurs in the form of fragments, which are sometimes pale yellow, and at others of a reddish colour; these fragments have a splintery fracture, a mealy surface, a faintly balsamic odour and a bitter taste. “It consists of about 4 or 5 per cent. of a volatile oil, 56 per cent. of a resinous acid, 30 to 36 per cent. of gum, and 6 per cent. of bassorin.”[67] Incense, of which olibanum forms one of the ingredients, owes much of its pleasant balsamic odour when burning to its presence. It is also used in pharmacy.

[Footnote 67: Payen.]

=OL′IVE.= _Syn._ OLEA, OLIVA, L. The _Olea Europæa_ (Linn.), a native of the South of Europe. The unripe fruit is preserved in brine (SPANISH OLIVES, FRENCH OLIVES); the ripe fruit furnishes olive oil; the bark is bitter, astringent, and febrifuge, and has been used as a substitute for cinchona bark; it yields a gum-like substance (OLIVE GUM), which was formerly reported vulnerary, and contains olivine. The olive tree has in all ages been held in peculiar estimation as the bounteous gift of Heaven to man. Some authors have styled it “a mine on earth.” It is remarkable for yielding a fixed oil from the pericarp instead of from the seed.

=OLLIVIER’S BISCUITS.= See PATENT MEDICINES.

=OLIVINE.= _Syn._ CHRYSOLITE. A crystallised double silicate of magnesia and iron, found in basaltic and volcanic rocks, and very frequently in masses of meteoric iron. It is sometimes yellow in colour, but mostly green.

=Olivine.= (Dr Landerer.) _Syn._ OLIVINA. _Prep._ Treat olive leaves with acidulated water, concentrate, precipitate with ammonia, re-dissolve the washed precipitate in a diluted acid, purify with animal charcoal, filter, and reprecipitate with ammonia.

=OM′ELET.= _Syn._ OMELETTE, Fr. A variety of pancake or fritter made of eggs and other ingredients. Omelets may contain bacon, ham, herbs, fish, shell-fish, cold meat, cold game, fruit, or anything else at hand at the pleasure of the cook. ‘Spirit omelets’ are made by pouring a little brandy, rum, or whisky over them on serving them up, and setting it on fire for a moment just before placing the dish on the table. “Where is the man or woman cook but says they know how to make an omelette, and that to perfection? But this is rarely the case. It is related of Sarah, the Duchess of Marlborough, that no one could cook a ‘fraise,’ as it was then called, for the great duke but herself. The great point is, if in an iron pan, it should be very clean and free from damp which sometimes comes out of the iron when placed on the fire. The best plan is to put it on the fire, with a little fat, and let it get quite hot, or until the fat burns; remove it, and wipe it clean with a dry cloth, and then you will be able to make the omelette to perfection.” (Soyer.)

The following formula for a plain omelet is by the above culinary authority:——“Break four eggs into a basin, add 1/2 teaspoonful of salt, and 1/4 do. of pepper, and beat them up well with a fork; put into the frying-pan 1-1/2 oz. of butter, lard, or oil, place it on the fire, and, when hot, pour in the eggs, and keep on mixing them quickly with a spoon until they are delicately set; then let them slip to the edge of the pan, laying hold by the handle, and raising it slantways, which will give an elongated form to the omelette; turn in the edges, let it rest a moment to set, turn it over on to a dish, and serve.” “It ought to be of a rich-yellow colour, done to a nicety, and as light and delicate as possible.” “2 table-spoonfuls of milk and 1 oz. of the crum of bread, cut into thin slices, may be added.”

MIXED and FANCY OMELETS are made by simply dropping the ingredients, cut into dice or fragments, into the above. ANCHOVY, OYSTER, and SHRIMP OMELETS are generally prepared by placing a few spoonfuls of the respective sauces in the centre of each when nearly dressed,

=ONGUENT (de la Mère).= A stimulant and digestive ointment, very popular in French pharmacy.

_Prep._ (P. Cod.) Black pitch, 1 part; butter, lard, litharge, suet and yellow wax, 4 parts; olive oil, 8 parts.

=ON′ION.= _Syn._ CEPA, L. The bulb of _Allium cepa_. The onion is diuretic, expectorant, rubefacient, and stimulant. The juice, made into a syrup with sugar (SYRUPUS CEPÆ), has been given in chronic catarrh, diarrhœa, croup, dropsy, and calculus. Roasted and split open, onions have been applied as poultices to suppurating tumours, and applied to the pubes to relieve suppression of urine in children. According to Dr Cullen, “onions are acrid and stimulating, and possess little nutrient power. In bilious constitutions they generally produce flatulence, thirst, headache, and febrile symptoms; but where the temperament is phlegmatic they are of infinite service, by stimulating the system, and promoting the excretions, particularly expectoration and urine.” They also possess antiscorbutic and soporific properties.

=Onions, To Chop.= “Few persons know how to chop onions properly. In the first place all the dry skin must be removed, then a thin slice off the top and bottom, or they will be bitter, then cut them into thin slices, dividing the onion, and cut crossways to form dice. If a very slight flavour is required and the onion is strong, like in the North of England, for it must be remembered that the further north you go the stronger the flavour of the root, and if French receipt books are exactly copied, it is no wonder complaints are made of the preponderance of the flavour of the onion; in which case, when chopped, put them in the corner of a napkin or cloth, wash them in water, squeeze them dry, then put them back on the board, and chop finer, or sometimes only rubbing the pan or the meat with the onion is quite sufficient.” (Soyer.)

=O′NYX.= A sub-species of quartz often wrought into small ornamental articles. Among jewellers, any stone exhibiting layers of two or more colours, strongly contrasted, is called an ‘onyx.’ A regularly and richly banded agate of this class is much prized for cameos. The _Sardonyx_ of the ancients is a variety of onyx. It is so called from _Sard_ or _Sarda_, a rich dark-red variety of carnelian, stripes of which in the stone alternate with white stripes. See GEMS.

=O′PAL.= A mineral allied to agate and chalcedony, but distinguished by its peculiar resinous lustre. The variety most admired as a gem is the precious or noble opal, which is remarkable for its beautiful play of colours. The finest opals come from Hungary, and although usually very small, will, if of good quality, realise as much as £5 each. Their value increases in a much greater ratio than their increase in size. They are also found in Saxony and in North America. The largest known specimen of an opal is that in the Imperial Cabinet at Vienna, the dimensions of which are five inches by two and a half. _Girasol_, _Cacholong_, _Hyalite_, and _Menilite_ are varieties of opal. See GEMS and PASTES.

=O′OLITE.= A variety of limestone composed of a number of collections of small round particles, bound together by a calcareous cement. The resemblance the mass is supposed to bear to the roe of a fish has caused oolite to be called _roestone_. When the grains are of larger dimensions it is called _peastone_. The little spherical bodies of which the stone is composed are mostly formed of concentric layers of carbonate of lime arranged round a grain of sand, a fragment of shell or some other nucleus.

The building stones of Caen, Portland, and Bath are all oolitic limestones. When first quarried they are mostly soft, a circumstance which admits of their being easily sawn and carved. They harden by exposure to the air.

In _geology_ the term “oolite” has a wider signification, and is applied to an important division of the middle secondary rocks of England, underlying the chalk formation and rich in the interesting fossil remains.

=OPHTHAL′MIA.= _Syn._ OPHTHALMITIS, L. Inflammation of the eye. In ordinary cases this disease is confined to the external membrane of the globe of the eye or to the eyelids; but it occasionally attacks the sclerotica, cornea, choroid coat, and retina.

The common causes of ordinary or conjunctival ophthalmia are the sudden exposure of the organ to a cold easterly wind, to dust, gritty particles, or to any external irritation or injury.

The symptoms are, in part, those common to local inflammation. The eye or eyelids become more or less bloodshot, swollen, and tender, and a sensation resembling that induced by the presence of particles of sand or some gritty substance, accompanied by much heat and a pricking pain, is almost constantly experienced. The secretion becomes yellowish and glutinous, and during the night frequently glues, as it were, the lids together. Sometimes only one eye is attacked, but after two or three days the disease extends to the other.

The treatment of mild cases of conjunctival ophthalmia is extremely simple. In general, it may be relieved by fomentations of warm water or decoction of poppy-heads and the use of aperient medicines, to which leeches and cupping may often be added with advantage.

“To apply a lotion to the eyes,” writes Dr Gardner, “the best way is to use a large camel’s-hair pencil or brush. Fill it with the lotion, draw down the lower lid, and apply the brush; the fluid will now come out of it into the eye.

“In order to get it well within the upper lid, move the latter up and down, and the whole surface will be wetted. This is important, because the usual way of applying lotions to the inside of the eye is very inefficient, if not entirely useless. The brush should be washed in warm water after using it.”[68]

[Footnote 68: ‘Household Medicine.’ Smith, Elder, & Co.]

In cases where the inflammation is very severe, the pain very acute, or the vision in the slightest degree impaired, as well as in those accompanied by a discharge of matter or pus, no time should be lost in seeking the services of the oculist.

_Animals._——All animals are liable to attacks of catarrhal or common ophthalmia, which may originate from various causes, such as exposure to cold, influenza, or the presence of foreign substances, such as bits of chaff, the husks of oat, small seeds, &c.

In horses, in addition to the above, it may be caused by a blow from the whip. In animals affected by it the eye becomes watery and half closed, the membrane looks thickened, and the eye is frequently bloodshot. If due to the presence of any foreign body this must be removed, either by means of the fingers, a handkerchief, or a camel’s-hair brush, or, if necessary, by the forceps.

The treatment consists in bathing the eyes with tepid milk and water, after which an alum or zinc lotion may be applied. A mild physic ball should also be administered.

=Ophthalmia, Purulent.= This dreadful disease, which, like the above, is a form of inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye, differs from ordinary ophthalmia in being accompanied with a discharge of pus, too frequently terminating in total and irrecoverable blindness of one or both eyes, and in being very contagious.

Purulent ophthalmia is very prevalent in India, Persia, and Egypt, and from the circumstance that large numbers of our troops were affected with it on their return from the campaign in Egypt, in the beginning of the present century, before which time it was unknown in England, it acquired the name of “Egyptian ophthalmia.”

Although of late years its ravages amongst the soldiers of our own as well as of other European nations have considerably abated, the disease is still more or less prevalent in the British, French, Prussian, Austrian, Bavarian, Italian, Spanish, Belgian, Swedish, and Russian armies. Purulent ophthalmia is also by no means uncommon amongst the non-military population, such as the poorer classes and their children, and the children in workhouses, asylums, and pauper schools. Dr Parkes says it has evidently been propagated amongst the civil inhabitants by the soldiery.

The following narrative of an outbreak of purulent ophthalmia that occurred on board a vessel freighted with slaves for the West Indies forcibly illustrates the character and infectious nature of this disease.

In the year 1819 the “Le Roideur,” a French vessel, sailed with a cargo of 160 negroes from Bonny, on the coast of Africa, to Guadaloupe. The “Le Roideur’s” crew consisted of 22 men, so that the number of human beings on board, including officers, was 182. No epidemic had been observed amongst the natives from whom the slaves had been taken, and further, at the time of sailing the crew were in perfect health, and the slaves were said to be free from disease of any kind.

The wretched Africans were closely packed in the hold of the vessel, the air of which, as may be imagined, soon became frightfully foul; and after about the thirtieth or fortieth day, the drinking water running scarce, their daily allowance was reduced from 8 oz. to half a wineglassful. Then it was that ophthalmia first showed itself amongst the wretched occupants of the hold, the lids of their eyes becoming red and inflamed. The surgeon of the vessel advised that they should breathe in succession the purer air of the deck. But this course had to be relinquished, since it was found that many of the negroes on leaving the hold jumped over the side of the vessel, and purposely drowned themselves. The disease, which was of a most virulent kind, spread rapidly amongst the negroes, and from these to the crew.

A notable fact demonstrating the propagation of purulent ophthalmia by material particles was the circumstance that the first amongst the crew who was seized was a sailor who guarded the hatch communicating with the hold. The day after another of the crew was attacked, and in three days after this the disease had assailed the captain, and almost the whole of the crew. The disease continued to spread daily, until at last there remained one only of the whole crew unaffected and with sight intact, and to him was deputed the important task of steering the vessel. Great fear was manifested lest he too might eventually be overtaken with the total or partial blindness that had come to the remainder of the crew.

The “Le Roideur” reached Guadaloupe on the 21st of June, when it was found that thirty more of the negroes had entirely lost their sight (thirty-six of whom had been thrown into the sea, since they were unsaleable), twelve had lost the sight of an eye, and fourteen were more or less blind.

Of the crew, twelve including the surgeon were entirely blind, five were blind of one eye, and four partially so.

Three days after the arrival of the vessel in port the steerer of the vessel was seized with the disease.[69]

[Footnote 69: Blythe.]

About thirty years ago a curious discovery in connection with purulent ophthalmia was made by Dr Loffler, a Prussian army surgeon. Many of the soldiers of his regiment being disabled by this disease, he submitted the eyes of all the men to a rigorous daily inspection, and he discovered in the lining membrane of the eyelids of some of them certain small granular bodies resembling boiled sago grains. Furthermore he noticed that, although those soldiers whose eyelids presented this peculiarity showed then no indications of the disease, they were subsequently invariably attacked by it; whilst those from whose eyelids the sago grains were absent as invariably escaped.

Subsequent investigators, amongst whom may be mentioned Drs Welch and Marston, have confirmed the accuracy of Dr Loffler’s observations and the soundness of his conclusions——that the occurrence of the sago grains is always an antecedent condition to an attack of purulent ophthalmia.

As to the nature of the little granular bodies known to pathologists as ‘sago grains,’ it seems to be generally admitted that they are follicles situated directly beneath the epithelium, which, in a healthy condition of the lining membrane, are not apparent, but which become swollen and enlarged when the membrane itself is in an unhealthy and irritable condition. In this respect they resemble the enlarged glands met with in scrofulous and weakly children.

“In a regiment the proneness to the development of sago grains is found to decrease as life advances; that is, to be much greater in young soldiers than in old ones, and by a parity of reasoning it is assumed to be greater in a community of children than in a community of adults. In any individual, and therefore in any community, the sago grains may disappear without producing mischief; but, as a matter of fact, sources of irritation to the eyes abound in the world, and when these sources of irritation act upon eyelids in which sago grains are already present, they often excite the contagious form of ophthalmia.”[70]

[Footnote 70: Brudenell Carter.]

The diffusion into the atmosphere of the purulent discharge accompanying this form of ophthalmia is undoubtedly the means by which the disease is spread.

Hence it is that if one eye be affected the other may be saved from an attack by being hermetically sealed up——a method of prevention sometimes adopted by the ophthalmic surgeon.

Mr Brudenell Carter says “that the secretion passes along the tear-passages into the nostrils, and is driven out with the expired air at every breath; besides the chances of direct contact that must exist when a child with ophthalmia is perpetually sending into the atmosphere what I may describe as a spray of contagious particles.”

Medical opinion is in some measure divided as to the origin of this disease; for whilst there are authorities who believe that its propagation is due to contagion assisted by insanitary environments, there are others who incline to the supposition that these latter conditions alone are sufficient to produce it. Whether this is so or not there can be no question that impure air, overcrowding, filth, and deficient water supply, which implies insufficient ablution, serve to intensify and perpetuate it.

So strongly and confidently impressed are Messrs Welch and Marston of the connection between unhealthy surroundings and prevalent ophthalmia, that they regard the two as cause and effect, and state their belief “that the presence or absence of ‘sago grains’ affords a delicate test of the sanitary state of a school, a regiment, or any similar community.”

Ample and painful confirmation of these views is afforded by the prevalence of the disease amongst the children, more particularly those who live in very poor and crowded districts. The pitiable, blear-eyed little creatures that one meets with in these localities are very frequently the victims of purulent ophthalmia, and as such bear unfailing testimony to the insalubrity and squalor of the homes in which they dwell.

Stromeyer states that he has met with the ‘sago grains’ in the eyelids of many domestic animals, more particularly pigs, the granules being always in proportion to the more or less dirty condition in which the animals were kept.

The above statements plainly indicate the means by which the disease is to be combated. Of these, thorough ventilation and pure air are the most important. Stromeyer records how, by simply ventilating some barracks, he reduced to an amazing extent a number of cases of the disease, which had broken out in the Hanoverian army. Possibly this result was due to the removal, by the current of air from the apartment of the dried particles of contagious matter.

Ablution, which, carefully performed, is, in addition to ventilation, an important curative agent, may, through the neglect of certain precautions, assist to spread the disease.

This it will assuredly do if the basins employed by the patients for washing their eyes are not thoroughly cleansed and disinfected after being used. Furthermore, the towels may be made to spread the infection, unless they too are thrown into some disinfecting solution after use, and unless a separate towel is appropriated to each patient. The danger of reinoculation may ensue if each towel is not changed sufficiently often. The bed-clothes of the affected persons, as well as the pillowcases, should be frequently renewed, the latter every day, since they collect and disseminate the discharges falling on them from the patient.

Medical authorities also strongly recommend the isolation of the patient, and then consequent separation from healthy persons as soon as ever the disease shows itself in a regiment, a school, or amongst any body of persons congregated together; a daily inspection of the eyes of each is recommended, so that whenever the “sago grains” develop themselves, the individuals so attacked may be removed, and placed under proper treatment.

The after effects of the various forms of contagious ophthalmia are thickening and distortion of the eyelids, more or less serious defect of vision, and not unfrequently total blindness.

During the course of the disease relapses from the most trifling causes frequently occur, and Warmolow states that a person who has once been affected with it is not safe against a recurrence, and should be assiduously watched.

=Ophthalmia, Infantile, Purulent.= This disease very frequently attacks infants of 3 or 4 days old. It is distinguished by redness of the edges of the eyes, the lids of which are often glued together. Upon looking into the eye the lining membrane is seen to be swollen and red. Infantile purulent ophthalmia, although yielding much more readily to proper treatment than that which attacks adults, makes rapid progress if neglected, and may jeopardise the sight of the babe; hence the great importance of calling in efficient medical aid as soon as ever it makes its appearance.

=Ophthalmia, Strumous, or Scrofulous.= This form of ophthalmia is generally met with in children of scrofulous habit of from 4 to 10 or 11 years of age. Its most distinctive characteristic is the inability of the sufferer to bear the light, the effect of which is that the eyes are kept spasmodically partially closed. If the eyes are examined, a slight fulness of the vessels usually stopping at the edge of the cornea is observable, and about the line dividing the cornea and sclerotic coat small opaque pimples or pustules are visible. This variety of ophthalmia, being the outcome of a constitutional taint, is frequently very obstinate, and yields with difficulty to medical treatment, besides being very liable to reappear. It is not unfrequently accompanied with a troublesome cutaneous affection known as _Crusta lactea_, which occurs on the cheeks, and arises from the irritation caused by the flow down the cheeks of the acrid lachrymal secretion. The usual treatment consists in improving the general health and strength of the patient by means of tonics, such as quinine, quinine and iron, cod-liver oil, or syrup of iodide of iron. The diet should be nutritious and easy of digestion, and there should be no stint of fresh air.

=O′′PIATES.= _Syn._ OPIATA, L. Preparations containing opium. The word is often applied in a general sense to anodynes and soporifics. In French pharmacy the name is commonly used synonymously with confections, as in the following preparations:——

ANTI-DYSENTERIC OPIATE——Quarin. Purified opium, 4 gr.; ipecacuanha, 1/2 dr.; tormentilla, 1 dr.; syrup of whortleberries and conserve of red roses, of each 6 dr.——_Dose._ A teaspoonful every hour.

ANTI-HYSTERICAL OPIATE——Trousseau and Reveil. Powdered indigo, 1 oz.; white honey, 3 oz.——_Dose_, 1 tablespoonful daily, gradually increased until the whole is taken in a day. In hysteria, epilepsy, and nervous affections of an epileptic character.

BALSAMIC OPIATE——Trousseau and Reveil. Oleo-resin (balsam) of copaiba, 1 oz.; cubebs (in powder), 3 oz.; potassio-tartrate of iron, 2-1/2 dr.; syrup of quince, q. s. In gleet.——_Dose_, 3 boluses the size of a nut, thrice daily.

CHARCOAL OPIATE——Ratier. Willow charcoal (recent), 1 oz.; prepared chalk, 1 dr.; powdered white sugar, 2 oz.: rose water, q. s. to form an electuary. In diarrhœa and incipient cholera, in dysentery with fetid stools, and in gastralgia, flatulence, &c. By substituting calcined magnesia for chalk it becomes an excellent remedy for habitual constipation.

CUBEB OPIATE——Deyeaux. Powdered cubebs, 4 dr.; powdered camphor, 1 dr.; mix, and divide it into 18 powders.——_Dose._ One, 3 or 4 times daily, in gleet, painful and scalding micturition. &c.

=O′′PIUM.= _Syn._ OPIUM (B. P., Ph. L., E, & D.), L. The juice inspissated by spontaneous evaporation, obtained by incision from the unripe capsules of the _Papaver somniferum_, grown in Asia Minor.

_Hist._——“It is uncertain at what period opium was first known and introduced into medicine. Hippocrates recommends the _meconion_ or _poppy juice_, in a disease of the uterus; and Dioscorides, on the authority of Erasistratus, tells us that Diagoras (who was contemporary, it is supposed, with Hippocrates) condemned the use of opium. These are, I believe, the most ancient Greek authorities who speak of this substance; and it is impossible, I think, to arrive at any accurate conclusion from their remarks whether opium had, or had not, been known long before their time, though Alston infers, from the little use made of it by Hippocrates, as well as from Diagoras condemning its use in diseases of the eyes, that its virtues were not known long before him. Dioscorides and Pliny mention that the expressed juice of the heads and leaves is termed _meconium_, and that it is much weaker than opium. Theodore Zwinger, Sprengel, and others have supposed that the _nepenthes_ of Homer was opium. It would appear that opium was not much employed until the time of the Arabs, except in the form of the confections known as Theriaca, Mithridatica, &c. The word opium is derived from _otos, the juice_.”[71]

[Footnote 71: Pereira.]

_Var._——1. EGYPTIAN; in roundish flattened lumps; inferior to Turkish opium.——2. ENGLISH; often equal to the best Smyrna.——3. FRENCH; resembles the last.——4. GERMAN; similar to English opium,——5. INDIAN;——_a._ BENARES; in large balls;——_b._ MALWA; in roundish flattened cakes, of 9 or 10 oz. in weight each;——_c._ PATNA, in balls or square cakes; inferior to Turkey opium.——6. LEVANT; same as Smyrna opium.——7. PERSIAN; in rolls or sticks, 6 × 1/2 inch; inferior; resembles hepatic aloes in appearance.——8. SMYRNA; in irregular, rounded, flattened pieces, varying in weight from 2 or 3 lbs. to only as many oz. It forms the best variety of Turkey opium, and is particularly rich in morphia. It is the only one adapted for the manufacture of the salts of morphia, as it contains on the average from 7 to 9% of that alkaloid, and usually yields about 12 to 12·5% of hydrochlorate of morphia, which is more than can be obtained from any other variety of opium.[72]——9. TURKEY; of which two varieties are known in commerce, viz. Constantinople opium and Levant or Smyrna opium, noticed above. Constantinople opium is generally in small, flattened, roundish cakes, 2 to 2-1/2 inches in diameter, and covered with poppy leaves. It is more mucilaginous and less esteemed than Smyrna opium, from which it may be distinguished by the last being always covered with the reddish capsules of a species of Rumex.

[Footnote 72: Of five kinds of Smyrna opium examined by Merk, the worst were found to yield 3 to 4 per cent. of morphia, and the best from 13 to 13·5 per cent.]

The following account of the method of opium collection, adopted in Asia Minor, is extracted from a paper in the ‘Pharmaceutical Journal,’ contributed by Messrs Maltass and Wilkin.[73] About the end of May the plants arrive at maturity, and the flowers expand. A few days after the petals have fallen the capsule is ready for incision.

[Footnote 73: First series, 14th volume.]

This operation is performed in the afternoon of the day and in the following manner:——A transverse incision is made with a knife in the lower part of the capsule, the incision being carried round until it arrives nearly at the part where it commenced; sometimes it is continued spirally to half way down its starting point. The greatest nicety is required to avoid cutting too deep, and penetrating the interior coating of the capsule, as this would cause the exuding milky juice to flow into the inside.

The following morning those engaged in collecting the opium lay a large poppy leaf on the palm of the left hand, and having a knife in the right hand, they scrape the opium which has exuded from the incision in each capsule, and then transfer it from the knife to the leaf, until a mass of sufficient size has been formed, when a second poppy leaf is placed over the top of the mass. If the dew has been heavy during the night the yield is greater, but the opium is dark in colour; if, on the contrary, there has been no dew, the yield is less, but the opium is of a lighter colour. A high wind is prejudicial, as the dust raised from the pulverised soil adheres to the exudation, and cannot be separated. The poppy capsules are cut but once, but as each plant will from one stem produce several branches, and each branch produce a flower, it is usual to pass over the field a second or a third time, to cut such capsules as were not ready at the first cutting. After the opium is collected it is dried in the shade.

The proceeds arising from the sale of the opium crop in British India form a considerable item in the revenues of our Eastern Empire; hence the poppy as the source of this valuable export, almost the whole of which goes to China, is very extensively cultivated in India.

In the year ending March 31st, 1872, 93,364 chests, valued at £13,365,228, were exported from British India. Of this quantity 49,455 chests were from Bengal, and Bombay 43,909. They were distributed thus:——

To China 85,470 chests.
” the Straits Settlements 7,845 ”
” Ceylon, Java, Mauritius,
and Bourbon 38 ”
” the United Kingdom 4 ”
” other countries 7 ”
——————
93,364
——————

The net revenue to the Indian Government from this source in the year 1871-72 was £7,657,213.[74]

[Footnote 74: Flückiger and Hanbury.]