A%JeTiSarm-}      |  PHI  Coating.  103 
PILL  COATING. 
By  D.  Hughes  Davies. 
Although  the  process  of  pill  coating  is  not  of  a  very  remote 
date,  the  demand  for  coated  pills  is  far  greater  at  present  than  for 
the  uncoated  ones,  and  I  consider  that  chemists  would  be  doing 
rightly  in  giving  this  subject  more  attention  than  it  has  as  yet 
received. 
There  may  be  various  objections  to  having  pills  coated,  but  now 
the  age  of  elegant  pharmacy  is  getting  ripe,  anything  of  a  nice  outward 
appearance,  and  not  of  an  unpleasant  taste,  is  of  far  greater  value 
in  the  eyes  of  the  public  than  the  old  fashioned  article,  and  I  think 
that  the  remark,  "A  white  cloak  covereth  a  multitude  of  sins,"  holds 
good  in  this  instance. 
I  am  not  prepared  to  state  that  pill  coating  is  such  an  easy  mat- 
ter as  some  have  volunteered  it  to  be,  but  regard  the  turning  out  of 
a  pill  with  a  thorough  good  polish  on  it,  as  a  difficult  task,  until  the 
process  has  been  thoroughly  mastered,  but  after  that  it  is  com- 
paratively easy  to  supply  the  customer  with  a  pill  having  quite  as 
beautiful  a  polish  as  any  machinery  can  turn  out.  When  a  batch 
does  not  turn  out  properly  and  the  culprit  is  taxed,  a  remark  often 
heard  behind  the  dispensing  department  is,  "  Oh  !  but  there's  a  lot 
of  knack  in  coating  pills,  you  know,"  and  I  may  say  that  there  is  a 
lot  of  truth  in  that.  However,  with  a  little  practice  everything  is 
overcome.  The  inability  of  chemists  in  some  instances  where  pills 
are  directed  in  prescriptions  to  be  coated  has  been  the  cause  of 
losing  good  customers.  One  may  try  his  utmost  to  explain  that 
the  coating  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  pill ;  it  is  very  seldom  the 
customer  is  enlightened  to  his  own  satisfaction. 
There  are  various  ways  of  coating  pills,  but  the  first  I  was  ever 
able  to  perform  was  the  tolut.  and  creta  gall.,  which  consists  in  dis- 
solving 3iij.  of  residue  from  making  syrup  tolut.  in  ^iss.  of  ether, 
varnish  the  pills  with  this  solution,  and  when  dry  rub  over  with  a 
little  powdered  French  chalk ;  there  are,  however,  improvements 
upon  that  process  which  I  will  try  and  define. 
(1)  The  Gelatin  Process. — I  will  not  make  any  comments  upon 
the  many  methods  of  gelatin  coating  I  have  tried,  but  will  simply 
define  the  one  with  which  I  have  obtained  by  far  the  best  results, 
viz  :  make  the  solution  from 
Gelatin,  ,  ioz. 
Water,  8  ozs. 
