TABLETS — BALLS 41 



Corrosivi they are unofficial but nevertheless largely employed. 

 There are several varieties: tablet triturates, compressed tablets, 

 coated tablets,^ hypodermic tablets and dispensing tablets. 



Tablet triturates are prepared by' triturating the medicament 

 with finely powdered sugar of milk if powerful agents are used, or 

 if the substance requires no dilution, triturating it to a very fine 

 powder, moistening the powder with sufficient alcohol or other vola- 

 tile substance to make a paste. The moistened powder is then 

 pressed into molds consisting of a plate perforated with holes and 

 then the tablets are pressed out by fitting this perforated plate over 

 another plate upon which are situated pegs that accurately fit the 

 perforations. The liquid is evaporated very quickly, after which 

 the tablets retain their shape and are ready for use. They possess 

 advantages over any other method of administering solids in human 

 and small animal practice as they are more conveniently adminis- 

 tered than powders and are more soluble than pills, compressed 

 tablets or capsules. Well made triturates disintegrate almost imme- 

 diately on being placed in water. 



Hypodermic tablets are made by the same process. The selec- 

 tion of the diluent is an important question because rapid solu- 

 bility is desired. Dried neutral sodium sulphate has been largely 

 employed and frequently they contain in d.ddition some substance 

 which produces chemical change when added to water and causes a 

 rapid disintegration of the mass. 



Compressed tablets are made from dried, granulated materials 

 by compression in a suitable machine. They are less soluble than 

 tablet triturates. Compressed tablets of insoluble material should 

 not be used. 



Coated tablets are compressed tablets covered with sugar, choc- 

 olate, etc. 



Dispensing tablets are those which contain a relatively large 

 amount of the active drug like strychnine 1 gr. or % gr. They 

 are used by pharmacists and those who dispense their own reme- 

 dies in order to avoid the necessity of weighing small amounts of 

 powerful drugs in filling prescriptions. 



BOLUS BOII — BAILS 



A bolus may be defined as a large pill. The term literally 

 means mass or lump. Its use is restricted to veterinary medicine. 

 They are made very similarly to pills. The ingredients are finely 

 powdered and thoroughly mixed, after which an excipient, such 

 as soap, syrup, glycerin, or molasses, is added to make a mass of 

 proper consistency. The mass is then divided into the proper 

 number of doses and 'each portion is molded into the form of a 

 cylinder with rounded ends. They may be wrapped in thin paper 

 or placed in capsules. 



