Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
Feb.,  1879.  J 
Improvement  in  Pill  Compressing. 
75 
now  be  made  in  a  form  at  once  compact,  small  in  size,  and  free  from 
foreign  matter  heretofore  necessary  to  hold  the  mass  together. 
Apparatus  for  compressing  Pills. 
Having  experienced  difficulty  in  removing  the  pill  from  the  com- 
pressor at  times  without  breaking  it,  I  have  designed  the  apparatus  rep 
resented  in  the  above  cut,  a  sectional  view  of  which  is  given  in  the  cut 
below.  Its  operation  being  so  successful  in  producing  a  pill  at  once  per- 
fect and  with  the  least  expenditure  of  power,  has  induced  me  to  offer  a 
brief  description  of  it  to  the  readers  of  the  "  Journal. "  It  can  be 
constructed  at  a  small  cost,  and  after  the  necessary  patterns  have  been 
made,  can  be  furnished  for  $3.50,  exclusive  of  the  compressor,  or  at 
$6.00,  including  two  sets  of  compressors  for  three  and  five  grain  pills. 
"  A  "  is  a  block  of  hard  wood  16  inchos  long,  7 
inches  wide  at  one  end,  tapering  uniformly  to  5 
inches  at  the  other  end.  It  is  3  inches  thick 
throughout.  A  hole  is  sunk  at  a  point  2-f  inches 
from  the  smaller  end  of  the  block,  in  its  central 
line,  to  receive  the  compressing  cylinder.  At  the 
bottom  of  this  hole  an  iron  washer  is  fitted.  The 
depth  of  the  washer  is  f  of  an  inch.  From  the 
bottom  of  the  hole  a  central  tube  is  bored  for  an 
additional  f  of  an  inch,  at  which  point  it  is  met  by 
a  similar  tube  bored  through  the  side  of  the  block. 
Through  this  tube,  which  slopes  sufficiently  to  per- 
mit its  passage,  the  pill  escapes. 
An  upright,  "  B,"  4  inches  high  is  screwed  firmly  to  the  smaller 
end  of  the  block,  and  to  its  upper  end  is  attached  by  a  hinge  joint  the 
lever    "  C,"  24  inches   long.    The    iron  in  each  one  is   1  inch< 
Section  through 
Cylinder. 
