Am.  Jour.  Pharin. 
Feb.,  1891. 
Preparation  of  Suppositories. 
9i 
majority  I  have  come  in  contact  with  in  recent  years  are  satisfied 
that  the  proper  way  to  make  them  is  by  cold  compression,  and  from 
an  experience  of  over  35  years  in  the  manufacture  of  this  class  of 
remedies,  I  am  satisfied  that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  the 
advantage  to  be  derived  from  the  use  of  proper  machinery  for 
moulding  suppositories  will  be  universally  acknowledged. 
While  in  the  dispensing  business  the  patience  was  often  sorely 
tried  with  the  suppository  prescription.  The  customer  frequently 
was  in  a  hurry;  sometimes  the  case  was  urgent,  and  yet  the  inevi- 
table ^  to  1  hour  had  to  pass  by  before  they  could  be  safely  sent 
out  in  summer,  and  often  a  box  of  cotton  was  all  there  was  to  show 
by  the  time  it  reached  the  patient  when  sent  by  mail. 
In  the  Spring  of  1879  I  perfected  my  first  machine  of  2  moulds, 
which  was  described  by  Mr.  E.  T.  Ellis,  in  the  American  Journal 
of  Pharmacy,  T879,  p.  184.  Afterwards,  in  1883,  I  made  a  larger 
and  better  one  of  3  moulds,  to  which  I  added  urethral  and  nasal 
suppositories  in  1 885.  This  machine  has  served  an  excellent  pur- 
pose ;  it  has  educated  thousands  to  what,  in  the  writer's  opinion,  is 
the  only  correct  method  of  making  a  suppository — i,  e.}  cold  com- 
pression. But'these  machines  require  a  certain  amount  of  adapta- 
bility and  familiarity  with  the  workings — same  as  a  type-writer,  for 
instance — or  the  art  of  spreading  a  plaster.  Now,  judging  by  some 
of  the  letters  received,  one  might  think  many  of  the  writers  wished 
a  machine  that  would  work  itself,  while  others  desired  to  make  3 
or  6  suppositories,  in  place  of  I  a  minute.  So  I  again  directed  my 
attention  and  thought  to  the  subject,  and  the  result  is  the  following 
suppository  machine  which  will  meet  all  desiderata,  and  is  so  simple 
that  the  errand  boy  can  work  it  as  well  as  the  proprietor,  after  the 
mass  is  prepared. 
The  internal  structure  of  the  machine  is  quite  simple,  and  is 
readily  explained  by  figure  No.  2.  It  consists  simply  of  a  cylinder 
swinging  in  a  frame,  in  which  the  die  or  mould  is  placed.  The  mass, 
previously  prepared,  is  thrown  into  this  cylinder,  which  at  this  time 
is  open,  as  in  fig.  2.  The  cylinder  being  closed,  as  in  fig.  1 ,  the  screw 
pressure  is  applied  until  all  resistance  is  overcome.  Before  opening 
the  bed-plate  at  4,  fig.  No.  1,  the  screw  should  be  loosened  by  half  a 
turn ;  then  throw  the  bed-plate  back,  and  again  gently  turn  the 
screw  until  the  suppositories  drop  out.  After  securing  these,  close 
the  plate  and  proceed  in  the  same  manner  until  the  cylinder  is 
