486 
Gelatine  Capsules. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\  September,  1896. 
in  a  line,  plant  or  solder  at  a  distance  of  i  inch  from  each  other  a  number  of 
smoothly  formed  metallic  knobs  of  an  ovoid  shape,  whose  apex  having  been 
somewhat  lengthened  out,  forms  a  thin  neck  by  which  they  are  attached  to  the 
tin  dishes.  This  neck  may  be  about  yz  of  an  inch  in  length.  Procure  a  sheet 
of  tin  and  perforate  with  round  holes,  of  which  the  diameter  will  be  equal  to 
the  thickness  of  the  knobs.  Having  greased  the  knobs  well  with  lard,  so  as 
not  only  to  prevent  any  adhesion  to  them,  but  also  the  adhesion  of  the  inner 
sides  of  the  capsules  to  each  other  after  casting,  pour  melted  glue  (the  most 
transparent  having  been  selected)  upon  them,  and  allow  it  to  become  tolerably 
stiff.  If  you  think  the  shell  is  too  thin,  a  second  coat  may  be  poured  upon  the 
first.  The  capsule  having  been  coated,  this  cast  is  allowed  to  cool  down  to  the 
ordinary  consistency  of  India  rubber,  and  having  run  a  knife  around  the  neck, 
you  twist  it  briskly  around  and  pull  it  upwards  off  the  knob.  It  will  imme- 
diately collapse  and  lose  the  form  imparted  to  it  on  the  mould,  but  if  laid  aside 
to  dry,  will,  by  the  time  it  has  hardened,  have  regained  the  desired  rotundity. 
Place  it  upon  your  perforated  plate  or  "  filler,"  and  you  can  thus  conveniently 
fill  it  with  the  article  prescribed,  and  close  the  opening  with  a  piece  of  gold- 
beater's skin. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  Mr.  Guillou  used  glue  instead  of  gelatine, 
and  also  recommended  iron  moulds  soldered  by  their  necks  to  small 
tin  plates,  and  therefore  devised  the  instrument  which  is  now  official 
in  the  French  Pharmacopoeia.  As  this  article  was  written  in  1837, 
that  is,  nine  years  before  Mr.  Giraud  recommended  his  iron  mould 
with  wires,  there  is  no  doubt  that  Guillou,  an  American  student  of 
the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  was  the  first  inventor  of  the 
improved  process  for  making  capsules,  preceding  even  Steege's 
invention  by  five  years.  I  have  not  been  able  to  discover  whether 
any  practical  results  came  from  this  discovery ;  the  records  of  the 
Patent  Office  do  not  mention  any  patent  for  capsules  at  that  time, 
nor  have  I  found  the  inventor's  name  anywhere  later. 
The  real  capsule  industry  in  America  dates  from  1836,  when  Mr. 
H.  Planten  emigrated  from  Paris  and  established  a  capsule  business 
at  No.  3  Chambers  Street,  New  York,  at  the  place  where  the  East 
River  Savings  Institution  is  now  located.  Filled  capsules,  according 
to  French  formulas,  were  manufactured  after  the  process  of  Mothes, 
and  new  ones  added  whenever  a  demand  arose.  The  capsules  were 
first  sold  as  "  Mothes'  capsules"  and  the  labels  printed  in  French 
and  English.  Powders  were  also  put  in  the  capsules,  if  ordered. 
Capsules  in  two  parts  were  also  made,  the  lower  part  filled  and  then 
capped.  But  their  manufacture  was  soon  abandoned  as  unpractical, 
the  two  parts  rarely  fitting  well.  The  firm  of  H.  Planten,  now  H. 
Planten  &  Son,  never  patented  any  machinery  and  invariably  declined 
