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Prints, Publications, Illustrations

Opium masses

  • Plate 3.

  • Part of A Manual of Vegetable Materia Medica
  • 1886

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No Copyright Public Domain

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Printed illustration in color of two opium masses. Opium is made from the juice from the capsules of Papaver somniferum which is then hardened by evaporation. The top, no. 16, is of a Smyrna Opium which is wrapped in poppy leaves and covered then by capsules of a species of Rumex. The lower, no. 17, is of a Constantinople Opium which is wrapped in a poppy leaf.

This manual identifies plants used for medicinal purposes. The focus is on plants that can be acquired through commerce in Britain and are illustrated as they would have been imported and bought, for example the opium is illustrated as a processed capsule wrapped in a poppy leaf instead of the poppy plant itself.

Authored by George Sampson Valentine Wills (1849-1932). Wills was the founder and Director of the Westminster College of Chemistry and Pharmacy in London. The school was established to train druggists for examinations by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, the regulating body established in 1841.

Property Value
Author
  • Wills, George S. V.
Publisher
  • Simpkin, Marshall and Co.
Place of publication
  • England--London
Format
  • Image
  • Text
Genre
  • Illustrations
  • Prints
  • Publications
Extent
  • 7 in. H x 5 in. W
Language
  • English
Subject
  • Botany, Medical
  • Materia medica, Vegetable
  • Medicinal plants
  • Opium--Therapeutic use
Rights Public Domain Mark 1.0
Credit line
  • Courtesy of Science History Institute

Physical location

Department
  • Library
View in library catalog

Related Items

  • Opium masses
  • Plate 9: Various medicinal plants based from trees of the sub-order Caesalpinieae
  • Plate 11: Red and pale cinchona bark

Cite as

Wills, George S. V. “Opium Masses.” A Manual of Vegetable Materia Medica. London, England: Marshall Simpkin, 1886. https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/0z708x57r.

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Opium masses

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Rights

No Copyright Public Domain

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The Science History Institute recognizes there are materials in our collections that may be offensive or harmful, containing racist, sexist, Eurocentric, ableist, or homophobic language or depictions. The history of science is not exempt from beliefs or practices harmful to traditionally marginalized groups. The Institute is engaged in ongoing efforts to responsibly present and address the evidence of oppression and injustice inextricable from the history of science. If you would like to learn more about our ongoing efforts or if you encounter harmful, inaccurate, or insufficient descriptions, please contact us at digital@sciencehistory.org.

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