Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
Feb.,  1878.  f 
Pills  and  Pill  Coatings. 
75 
tend  to  increase  the  bulk  of  the  mass  rather  more  than  is  desirable,  other- 
wise thev  possess  good  combining  properties.  It  not  unfrequently  hap- 
pens that  the  ingredients  of  a  prescription,  instead  of  requiring  mois- 
ture, have  in  themselves  too  little  solidity  to  form  or  retain  the  pilular 
consistence  ;  we  have,  as  it  were,  all  mortar  and  no  bricks  wherewith 
to  build.  In  such  cases  Mr.  Proctor  strongly  recommends  the  addition 
of  powdered  wood  ;  he  compares  a  pill  to  an  animal,  and  says  this  sub- 
stance is  real  bone  to  it,  which,  doubtless  is  the  case  ;  but  in  the  face 
of  the  satire  on  the  apothecary  and  his  sawdust  pills,  I  have  never  beer, 
able  to  reconcile  my  mind  to  its  use. 
If  the  mass  require  but  a  small  addition  in  the  way  of  solidity  and 
some  elasticity,  then  a  little  powdered  tragracanth  answers  admirably, 
but  if  the  quantity  be  too  great  then  the  elasticity  is  also  excessive  and 
it  becomes  somewhat  difficult  to  round  off  the  angles  under  the  pill 
finisher.  If  the  mass  is  much  too  soft,  and  consists  chiefly  of  moist 
extracts,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  dispel  some  of  the  moisture  by 
the  judicious  application  of  heat  (for  this  purpose  a  very  small  hot- 
water  plate  is  an  acquisition  to  the  dispensing  counter),  a  little  of  some 
powder,  such  as  tragacanth,  gum  arabic,  liquorice  root,  or  taraxacum 
might  then  be  worked  in,  and  the  mass  be  rolled  out  quickly  before  it 
has  thoroughly  cooled.  If  the  extract  possess  a  hygroscopic  nature,- 
such  as  that  of  dandelion,  then  tragacanth,  which  tends  to  dryness, 
answers  well.  But  what  I  believe  to  be  still  better  in  the  case  of  ex- 
tracts which  are  not  injured  by  drying  is  to  use  them  in  powder. 
Pills  containing  much  essential  oil  are  best  manipulated  by  the  addi- 
tion of  a  few  shreds  of  wax  and  a  little  powdered  soap  where  not  in- 
compatible \  this  combination  enables  the  operator  to  get  in  more  oil, 
carbolic  acid,  creasote,  etc.,  in  a  satisfactory  manner  than  any  other 
means  I  am  acquainted  with.  Almond  meal  has  also  been  recommended 
for  causing  oily  and  watery  substances  to  unite  ;  it  does  so  by  its  emul- 
sifying properties  and  would  be  very  valuable  but,  unfortunately,  it  gives 
an  insoluble  character  to  the  pill  and  thus  impairs  its  activity.  An  ex- 
cipient  formerly  much  prescribed,  but  about  the  worst  I  know  of,  is 
crumb  of  bread. 
Some  substances  require  special  excipients.  I  will  only  mention  two 
of  these — sulphate  of  quinia  might  be  made  into  pills  with  confection 
of  hips  ;  better,  because  smaller,  with  glycerin  of  tragacanth  ;  but, 
best  and  smallest  with  tartaric  acid  (about  two  grains  to  twenty)  and  a 
