ON  PILULE. 
249 
classes  rather  than  to  be  guided  by  the  experience  of  one  in- 
dividual, or  class  of  individuals. 
The  physician  prescribes,  or  the  College  requires,  certain 
active  medicines  to  be  made  into  a  pill  mass. 
The  problem  of  the  Pharmaceutist  is  to  give  to  the  mass 
plasticity,  freedom  from  liability  to  change,  and  ready  solubility 
in  the  stomach,  and  to  accomplish  these  with  as  little  outlay  of 
money  and  labor  as  may  be. 
The  difficulty  or  impossibility  of  attaining  perfection  in  these 
requisite  qualities,  makes  it  desirable  that  we  should  avoid  the 
liability  to  change,  and  obtain  the  ready  solubility  in  the  stomach, 
by  preparing  only  small  quantities  of  the  masses  as  they  are 
wanted,  and  economy  of  time  demands  that  the  labor  of  going 
through  the  whole  process  of  weighing,  powdering,  mixing,  and 
beating  be  not  required  of  us  every  time  a  little  Pilula  Galbani 
Composita  is  wanted.  The  means  by  which  this  is  to  be  attained 
is  evidently  to  have  the  ingredients  mixed  in  powder,  requiring 
only  the  addition  of  a  definite  quantity  of  water  or  other  excipient 
to  convert  them  into  a  mass  of  the  requisite  qualities. 
That  this  change  would  be  acceptable  to  many  is  shown  by 
the  frequent  demand  for  Pulvis  Pilulae  Colocynthidis  Compositse, 
Pulvis  Pilulse  Ehei  Compositae,  &c.  Mr.  Muskett  objects  to  such 
preparations  as  powder  of  Plummer's  pill,  on  the  ground  that 
mixed  powders  have  a  tendency  to  separate  on  standing  ;  but 
such  an  objection,  though  in  this  case  theoretically,  or  even 
practically  true,  will  not  apply  to  the  Pharmacopoeia  pills  as  a 
class,  any  more  than  it  will  to  Pulvis  Jalapae  Compositus,  Pulvis 
Confectionis  Aromaticae,  &c,  which  preparations  have  never  been 
considered  objectionable  in  this  respect. 
It  has  been  recommended  to  liquify  the  various  ingredients 
with  the  aid  of  heat,  water,  &c,  by  which  means  a  very  perfect 
mixture  is  obtained,  and  the  mass  will  better  stand  the  scrutiny 
of  a  microscopic  examination,  hut  this  is  a  theoretical  advantage 
not  of  practical  importance ;  at  the  same  time  it  generally  im- 
parts great  toughness,  and  tendency  of  the  pills  to  fall  out  of 
shape  ;  these  are  practical  disadvantages.  I  have  had  very  little 
experience  in  the  melting  process,  but  I  anticipate  that  it  would 
be  a  great  convenience  to  makers  of  pill  masses  on  the  large 
scale,  obtained  at  the  cost  of  great  inconvenience  to  those  who 
