30  DESCRIPTION  OE  PHARMACEUTICAL  APPARATUS. 
The  blade  is  a  hollow  case  into  which  the  heater  is  inserted, 
having  a  door  (A)  at  one  end,  and  being  connected  at  the  other 
by  a  hollow  tube,  with  the  handle.  The  heater  (C)  is  supported 
on  a  lever,  which  passes  through  the  hollow  tube  and  terminates 
in  a  thumb-button  (B).  By  depressing  this  button  the  heater  is 
raised  so  as  not  to  be  in  contact  with  the  lower  part  of  the 
spatula.  On  removing  the  thumb  when  more  heat  is  required, 
the  heater  is  depressed,  and  produces  the  desired  effect.  The 
heater,  which  consists  of  a  hollow  tube  of  thick  copper, 
slides  on  a  pin  which  forms  the  termination  of  the  lever,  and 
which  regulates  its  position  in  the  box.  Some  heaters  are  per- 
forated, to  admit  of  their  being  easily  heated  by  means  of  gas. 
The  chief  advantage  of  this  Spatula  consists  in  the  facility 
with  which  the  heat  may  be  regulated  by  means  of  the  lever  and 
button,  which  latter  is  quite  under  the  control  of  the  thumb.  The 
box  containing  the  heater  is  composed  of  brass,  and  not  being 
inserted  in  the  fire,  is  less  troublesome  to  keep  clean  than  the 
common  spatula.  When  several  plasters  are  required,  the  heater 
may  be  removed  and  another  inserted  with  facility,  without  loss 
of  time. 
Rotary  Pill  Machine. — In  our  last  number  we  described  the 
apparatus  of  Messrs.  Pond  and  Morse,  of  Rutland,  Vermont, 
without  giving  the 
names  of  the  inventors, 
an  omission  entirely  ac- 
cidental, and  which  we 
now  make  up  by  this 
additional  notice.  The 
difficulty  of  disengaging 
the  pills  from  the  sphe- 
rical cavities  appears  to 
be  the  only  objection 
urged  against  this  ma- 
chine. We  have  been 
informed  that  an  ar- 
rangement for  effecting 
this  purpose  has  been 
tried,  with  but  partial 
success.    It  consisted  of  two  bands  of  thin  gum  elastic  passing 
