bushby's  pill  machine.  63 
ing,  which  is  to  some  druggists  the  one  horrible  skeleton  which 
haunts  their  business  life,  has  induced  many  attempts  to  construct 
a  simple  machine  possessing  sufficient  intelligence  to  convert  a 
large  mass  into  equal-sized  and  properly-shaped  pills.  A  ma- 
chine for  this  purpose  has,  we  believe,  been  in  use  for  many 
years  at  a  few  of  those  establishments — such  as  Holloway's  and 
Cockle's — where  pills  are  turned  out  by  the  hundred-weight. 
But  the  great  expense,  the  unnecessary  elaborateness,  and,  we 
may  add,  the  many  imperfections,  of  this  machine,  have  al- 
together prevented  its  general  introduction  among  the  druggists 
of  the  country.  We  had  heard  of  Mr.  Bushby's  invention,  and 
had  much  pleasure,  during  a  recent  visit  to  Manchester,  to  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  examine  it  for  ourselves.  Its 
first  recommendation  is  its  exceedingly  pretty  appearance. 
Mounted  on  a  mahogany  stand,  it  forms,  when  not  in  use,  a  very 
attractive  object  for  the  counter,  and  we  are  inclined  to  think 
that  a  little  mysterious  machinery  about  a  chemist's  shop  often 
adds  to  his  reputation  as  a  scientific  man,  and  helps  to  maintain 
the  dignity  of  the  profession.  The  invention  and  perfection  of 
this  machine  must  have  cost  Mr.  Bushby  a  vast  amount  of  thought 
and  labor  ;  but  we  believe  the  general  verdict  of  the  trade  will 
in  the  end  reward  him  for  his  perseverance.  The  difficulty  of 
adapting  a  single  machine  for  the  purpose  of  going  through  the 
several  processes  of  rolling,  cutting  and  rounding  at  one  and  the 
