482 
Gelatine  Capsules. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\  September,  1896. 
The  gelatine  capsule  was  invented  by  Mr.  A.  Mothes,  a  French 
pharmacist,  in  1833.  Experiments  had  evidently  been  made  be- 
fore, but  no  evidence  of  success  nor  public  acknowledgment  can  be 
found  before  this  date.  Official  notice  of  the  discovery  was  taken 
by  two  reports  to  the  "  Academie  royale  de  Medecine,"  one  on  May 
13,  1834,  the  other  on  February  28,  1837,  both  of  which  speak 
approvingly  of  it.  On  March  15,  1837,  Dr.  M.  F.  Ratier,  a  promi- 
nent physician  and  teacher  of  Paris,  inserted  in  the  Dictionaire  de 
Medecine  et  de  Chirurgie  practiques  (Vol.  XV,  page  285)  an  article 
on  "Therebinthine  de  Copahu,"  in  which  he  speaks  of  the  happy 
idea  of  the  gelatine  capsules,  which  admit  of  direct  administration 
of  either  balsam  of  copaiva  or  its  volatile  oil  without  any  addition 
liable  to  alter  its  virtues.  There  is,  therefore,  no  doubt  that  this 
invention  was  at  once  welcomed  by  the  medical  and  pharmaceutical 
professions  as  a  safe  method  of  administering  nauseating  liquids. 
The  capsules  were  known  after  their  inventor,  as  "  Capsules  Gelati- 
neuses  de  Mothes,"  and  were  manufactured  and  sold  by  the  firm  of 
Mothes  et  Dublanc,  of  Paris.  At  first,  only  capsules  filled  with 
balsam  of  copaiva  were  made ;  afterwards  various  nauseating  liquids, 
principally  oils,  were  treated  in  the  same  way.  Soon  a  demand  for 
empty  capsules  arose,  and  the  firm  supplied  them  also.  The 
method  of  making  these  capsules  was  described  by  Mr.  Cottereau, 
in  an  article  in  the  Traite  de  Pharmacologic,  early  in  1835.  A- 
small  pouch,  made  of  a  soft  skin,  shaped  like  a  small  olive,  served 
as  a  mould.  This  pouch  was  fastened  by  means  of  a  wax  thread  to 
a  small  long-necked  funnel  of  metal,  the  upper  wide  opening  of 
which  could  be  closed  with  a  screw  cover.  Through  this  funnel  the 
pouch  was  filled  with  mercury  in  order  to  expand  it.  A  solution  of 
gelatine  and  water  was  made  in  the  proportion  of  1  part  of  gela- 
tine to  3  of  water,  and  the  expanded  pouch  dipped  into  it.  On 
withdrawing,  a  rotary  motion  was  given  the  instrument  until  the 
gelatine  had  almost  hardened  ;  if  desired,  a  second  or  third  dipping 
might  be  used.  The  cover  of  the  funnel  was  removed  and  the 
mercury  poured  out,  by  which  the  pouch  would  collapse  and  could 
easily  be  withdrawn.  The  neck  of  the  capsule  was  then  cut,  leav- 
ing a  small  opening,  through  which  it  was  filled  by  means  of  a 
syringe.  Finally,  a  drop  of  the  gelatine  solution  would  close  the 
capsule. 
In  1838,  Mr.  Garot,  a  pharmacist  of  Paris,  read  a  paper  before  the 
