Opioid selling Indian opium which was smuggled into China in defiance of Chinese government bans. This led to the First (1839–1842) and Second Opium Wars (1856–1860) between China and Britain. In the 19th century, two major scientific advances were made that had far-reaching effects. Around 1804, German pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner isolated morphine from opium. He described its crystallization, structure, and pharmacological properties in a well-received paper in 1817. Morphine was the first alkaloid to be isolated from any medicinal plant, the beginning of modern scientific drug discovery. The second advance, nearly fifty years later, was the refinement of the hypodermic needle
An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China by Staunton brought back detailed descriptions and observations on the Chinese culture that were received with curiosity in the West and led to the commercial success of the book and the publication of several translations and subsequent writings on the Macartney Mission. In the title of the account the King of Great Britain is presented equal if not superior to the Emperor of China, as both names are written in capitals, with King George III's names printed in a larger font. This shows the immense confidence with which the English Empire faced the Ancient Chinese Empire. This confidence is also