Am.  Jonr.  Pbarm.") 
September,  1896.  J 
Gelatine  Capsules. 
483 
Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Paris  (Journal  de  Pharmacie,  1838,  p.  78), 
in  which  he  states  that  the  manufacturers  of  capsules  having  re- 
fused to  sell  empty  ones,  he  was  forced  to  invent  a  plan  of  his  own, 
in  order  to  fill  certain  prescriptions  of  local  physicians  who  did  not 
wish  to  have  the  formula  communicated  to  others.  He  proceeded 
by  making  a  mass  of  the  cubebs  and  copaiva  and  other  substances, 
and  divided  and  rolled  the  mass  into  pills.  He  then  made  a  gelatine 
solution,  using  1  part  of  gelatine  to  3  of  water,  put  the  pills  on  needles, 
dipped  them  into  the  liquid,  rotated  them  in  the  air  until  the  gela- 
tine was  losing  its  liquid  consistency,  and  kept  them  on  the  needle 
by  inserting  the  blunt  end  into  a  thick  paste.  After  preparing 
about  fifty  pills,  he  would  take  each  needle  and  warm  it  gently  at  a 
candle,  the  heat  being  sufficient  to  melt  the  gelatine  around  the 
needle  to  allow  the  latter  to  be  withdrawn.  A  warm  spatula  and  a 
trace  of  liquid  gelatine  would  finally  close  the  hole  left  by  the 
needle.  It  will  be  seen  that  this  is  substantially  the  method  used 
in  later  years  by  the  manufacturers  of  gelatine-coated  pills,  although 
other  methods  are  now  employed  by  some.  Mr.  Garot,  therefore, 
was  the  inventor  of  the  gelatine-coated  pill,  in  1838.  Two  years 
later  (Journal  de  Pharmacie,  1840,  p.  585),  Mr.  Vee  proposed  an 
improvement  in  the  coating  material  by  using  one  part  of  gelatine, 
seven  parts  of  jujube,  and  water  enough  to  dissolve  both  to  a  syrupy 
consistency.  This  mass  would  prevent  the  cracking  of  the  coating 
caused  by  the  rapid  drying  and  contraction  of  the  gelatine,  and  also 
leave  a  pleasant  flavor  in  the  mouth  after  swallowing  the  pill. 
Another  modification  was  recommended  in  1848  by  Mr.  M.  G. 
Jozeau  (Gazette  Medicale  de  Paris,  1848,  in,  193),  by  substituting 
casein  for  gelatine. 
Returning  to  the  capsules,  it  must  be  noted  that  the  process 
invented  and  employed  by  Mr.  A.  Mothes  was  a  rather  complicated 
one,  and  we  cannot  wonder  that  ingenious  minds  looked  for  im- 
provements. Such  an  improvement  is  recorded  in  the  Journal  de 
Pharmacie  et  de  Chimie  (Vol.  1 846,  p.  354),  by  Mr.  A.  Giraud.  He  took 
small,  iron,  olive-shaped  balls  with  a  wire  attached  to  one  end,  and, 
after  covering  them  with  a  thin  coat  of  sweet  almond  oil,  dipped 
them  into  a  solution  of  syrupy  consistence,  of  24  parts  of  gelatine, 
4  parts  of  syrup  of  acacia,  6  parts  of  simple  syrup,  and  20  parts  of 
water.  The  coated  moulds  were  suspended  by  means  of  the  wire, 
until  the  gelatine  was  cold  enough  to  be  touched  by  the  fingers, 
