Am.  Tour.  Pharm.  ) 
Jan.  1876.  J 
Wafer  Capsules. 
aloes  is  generally  the  best,  on  account  of  the  aloin  obtained  from  it, 
being  much  more  easily  separated  and  more  active,  than  that  obtained 
from  the  other  varieties  of  aloes.  Natal  aloes,  lately  quite  prevalent 
in  the  market,  also  affords  an  extremely  handsome  "  looking  "  article 
of  aloin,  but  unfortunately  it,  as  well  as  the  aloes  itself,  is  very  weak 
in  its  action  ;  15  and  20  grs.  of  the  aloin  having  been  taken  with  the 
result  of  only  a  slight  purgative  action. 
The  writer  also  examined  an  article  of  aloin  prepared  from  a  grade 
of  aloes,  called  Curagoa  ;  but  this  was  also  quite  weak  in  its  action. 
The  best  means  of  detecting  the  nataloin  is  by  its  reaction  with 
strong  sulphuric  acid,  and  the  vapor  of  nitric  acid,  as  proposed  by 
Histed.  Add  a  few  grains  of  the  suspected  aloin  to  several  drops  of 
strong  sulphuric  acid,  and  then  pass  a  glass  rod,  moistened  with  strong 
nitric  acid,  gently  just  over  its  surface.  The  presence  of  nataloin 
will  be  indicated  by  the  blue  color  which  immediately  results.  Barb- 
aloin  can  be  detected  by  its  reaction  with  strong  nitric  acid,  giving  a  red 
color. 
WAFER  CAPSULES  AS  A  MEANS  OF  ADMINISTRATION  OF 
MEDICINES. 
BY  WILLIAM  MciNTYRE,  PH.  G. 
[Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  December  zist.) 
In  the  "American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,"  1873,  Pa&e  I9°->  an^  1875, 
page  213,  notices  have  appeared  describing  such  wafer  envelopes  or 
capsules. 
Recently  attention  has  been  specially  directed  to  the  advantages  of 
this  method,  and  there  have  appeared  in  the  market  wafer  discs  and 
presses  to  enable  the  druggist  to  dispense  them.  The  want  of  infor- 
mation as  to  their  production  and  the  expense  attending  upon  the  press 
has  proven  a  barrier  to  their  general  introduction. 
The  plan  consists  in  having  two  small  concave  wafer  discs  to  fit 
each  other  in  such  manner  that  when  joined  a  perfectly  sealed  envelope 
or  capsule  is  formed,  thus  rendering  feasible  the  administration  of  such 
medicines  as  are  free  from  moisture,  in  a  tasteless  and  odorless  manner, 
also  allowing  the  presentation  in  one  envelope  of  two  substances,  sep- 
arated by  a  middle  leaf  of  wafer  paper,  with  the  intention  that  they 
unite  in  the  stomach,  and  form  a  salt  in  the  nascent  state. 
It  is  possible  to  secure  all  these  advantages  bv  means  of  apparatus 
