484 
Gelatine  Capsules. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X  September,  1896. 
when  he  would  grasp  each  one  with  the  hand  and  briskly  withdraw 
the  mould.  The  gelatine  mass  was  elastic  enough  to  expand 
and  contract  again.  Mr.  Giraud  finally  asked  whether  there  would 
be  legal  objections  to  using  this  method.  The  answer  is  given  in  a 
foot  note,  stating  that  this  process  cannot  be  used,  as  it  interferes 
with  the  patent  of  Mr.  Mothes.  It  seems,  however,  that  Mr.  Mothes 
himself  took  advantage  of  this  paper,  for,  in  1850,  that  is,  four  years 
later,  we  find  in  the  Journal  de  Pharmacie  el  Chimie  (Vol.  1850,  p. 
204),  a  communication  signed  H.  B.,  to  the  effect  that  "  Mr.  Mothes 
has  introduced  an  improvement  in  making  his  capsules,  in  order  to 
overcome  the  variations  in  size,  by  taking  iron  moulds  of  the  shape 
of  an  olive  suspended  by  wires."  Then  follows  the  same  description 
that  Mr.  Giraud  had  given  before,  without  giving  him  the  credit  of  the 
invention.  We  must  surmise  that  French  manufacturers,  just  like 
their  American  brethren,  are  in  the  habit  of  re-inventing,  whenever 
the  original  inventor  is  careless  enough  to  publish  his  invention 
without  patenting  it  at  once.  From  this  time  the  gelatine  capsules 
were  generally  used  by  the  French  pharmacists  and  physicians,  and 
we  find  many  evidences  in  the  various  French  pharmaceutical 
journals.  Formulas  for  certain  mixtures  are  recommended,  ending 
generally  with  the  phrase  :  "  Then  fill  into  gelatine  capsules,  and 
close  them  in  the  usual  way."  It  might  be  mentioned  that  in  1878 
(Journal  de  Pharmacie  et  de  Chimie,  1878,  II,  p.  74),  Mr.  Detenhof 
gives  again  a  description  of  a  method  of  making  capsules,  which 
differs  from  Giraud's  method  only  in  the  material.  Detenhof  used 
7-4  gelatine,  14-4  water,  and  added  14-4  glycerin;  he  was  probably 
the  first  one  to  recommend  glycerin  in  the  gelatine  mass. 
The  French  Pharmacopoeia  also  took  notice  of  this  invention,  and 
we  find  an  official  formula  for  the  manufacture  of  the  gelatine  cap- 
sule in  the  edition  of  1866  of  the  "  Codex  Medicamentarius."  The 
mass  employed  consisted  of  gelatine,  30  parts ;  gum  arabic,  30 
parts;  sugar,  30  parts;  white  honey,  10  parts,  and  water,  100  parts. 
The  process  differs  from  that  of  Giraud,  in  so  far  that  the  olive- 
shaped  iron  moulds  are  not  provided  with  a  wire,  but  are  soldered 
with  their  elongated  necks  to  a  small  plate,  so  that  after  dipping 
them  into  the  gelatine  solution  they  would  stand  erect  until  suffi- 
ciently dry  to  withdraw  them  from  the  mould.  The  last  edition  of 
the  German  Pharmacopoeia  also  recognizes  the  capsules,  and  gives  a 
similar  formula.    Also  in  other  countries  the  capsules  soon  became 
