324  PHARMACEUTICAL  GLEANINGS  AND  NOTICES. 
cantharides,  and  is  less  active  as  a  vesicant.  Mr.  T.  suggests 
that  both  this  and  the  cantharidal  vesicant  may  be  diluted  with 
common  collodion,  so  as  to  become  merely  rubefacients. 
The  Granulation  of  Medicines. — Dr.  Thomas  Skinner,  of 
Liverpool,  has  called  attention  to  this  subject  in  a  detailed  arti- 
cle, at  page  573  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal.  After  referring 
to  a  paper  by  Dr.  Henry  Kennedy,  of  Dublin,  in  the  Dublin  Med- 
ical Press,  who  lays  it  down  as  an  axiom  in  therapeutics,  that  the 
form  of  powder  "  is  the  most  efficacious  in  which  a  medicinal 
substance  can  be  administered,"  he  expresses  himself  of  the  same 
opinion,  and  says  he  has  frequently  sought  a  method  of  render- 
ing powders  more  easy  of  deglutition,  and  less  offensive  to  the 
nose  and  palate,  and  concluded  that  the  form  of  granules  would 
meet  the  difficulty.  On  consulting  with  Mr.  Samuel  Banner, 
Pharmaceutist,  of  Liverpool,  and  calling  his  attention  to  the 
«  Poudres  Granules  "  of  the  French,  the  process  of  preparing 
which  with  syrup  and  heat  is  a  part  of  the  confectioner's  art, 
that  gentleman  at  once  suggested  a  very  simple  plan,  by  means 
of  which  pulverulent  medicines  may  be  granulated  to  a  firm  con- 
sistence, with  the  aid  of  but  little  heat  and  moisture,  with  the 
production  of  a  granular  powder  that  may  be  swallowed  with 
water  without  leaving  a  trace  of  the  medicinal  substance,  or  the 
slightest  sensation  to  indicate  its  recent  presence  near  the  nerves 
of  taste  and  smell.  The  process  is  analogous  to  that  for  granu- 
lating gunpowder. 
Method  of  preparing  the  granules. — The  first  step  is  to  procure 
the  material  of  good  quality.  The  powders  need  not  be  very 
fine  in  order  to  form  granules,  hence  sifted  ground  powders  may 
be  used. 
1.  Making  the  Mass. — The  powder,  however  obtained,  is  put 
into  a  wedgewood  mortar,  and  sufficient  mucilage  of  gum  arabic 
(U.  S.  P.  or  Lond.  Ph.  strength)  is  added  to  make  a  mass  of 
so  dry  a  consistence  that  it  will  readily  crumble,  and  not  be  ad- 
hesive when  rubbed  against  a  coarse  sieve,  a  condition  soon 
learned  by  practice.  The  powder  may  also  be  made  into  a  stiff 
paste  rolled  into  flat  thin  cakes,  dried  at  a  low  temperature,  and 
coarsely  powdered  or  bruised  in  a  mortar. 
2.  Granulating  and  sifting. — The  process  requires  three 
