given in this manner unless administered at once. Soft capsules are made 

 and filled by the large manufacturers and are not readily dispensed .by 

 hand unless special apparatus is available. 



In dispensing capsules by hand the skin must be perfectly dry other- 

 wise the fingers will soften the outside of the capsule to which any powders 

 will adhere, making an unsightly product and giving their unpleasant 

 taste to the gelatin. The filled capsule should still possess its lustre and 

 be quite free of the taste of the enclosed medicine. 



On the Dispensing of Cachets. This is perhaps the most elegants 

 way of administering powders of moderate bulk, it being possible to enclose 

 about double as much as by capsule. As in the dispensing of dry powders 

 by capsule it is first necessary to convert everything to powder form. To 

 turn out cachets properly requires the use of a cachet machine though a 

 serviceable substitute may be made by using two bottles having wide 

 mouths of sufficient inside diameter to hold a half-cachet. The powder is 

 placed in one half being careful not to allow any to fall upon the projecting 

 edge. The edge of the other half is now moistened with a brush dipped 

 in water ,and a very little having been applied the empty half is inverted 

 over theother and with the application of slight pressure becomes adherent. 

 The use of the machine permits the same procedure to be accomplished 

 much more rapidly. Fluids and deliquescent drugs may not be dispensed 

 in this manner. As there are several sizes of cachets available that best 

 suited to the bulk of the medicine should be selected. 



On the Dispensing of Powders. Drugs selected for dispensing in 

 powders are commonly those with little unpleasant taste. As we have 

 seen nauseous powders are best given in capsules or cachets. Deliques- 

 cent drugs or those affected deleteriously by the atmosphere should not 

 be dispensed unless wrapped in oiled paper. 



Every remedy should be reduced to fine powder, and if several are 

 to be mixed this is to be done in the usual order, beginning with those 

 of smallest bulk and gradually adding those which are larger. Powders 

 may be triturated in a mortar with the pestle if light trituration is used: 

 hard pressure is apt to cause caking making the resulting powder difficult 

 to swallow. 



A very useful way to obtain the thorough admixture of powders is to 

 pass them repeatedly through a fine sieve. If the total quantity is small, 

 powders may be^readily and well mixed by triturating them together upon a 

 piece of paper with a spatula and then passing them once through a sieve. 

 The division of powders may be done with the spatula, equality in size being 

 determined by the aid of the eye, or more exactly each powder may be 

 weighed. 



Powder papers should be of equal size and when folded of the same 

 width and length, this being determined by the size of the box in which they 



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