THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
MARCH,  1876. 
ON  AN  IMPROVED  PILL  PRESS. 
BY  JOSEPH   P.  REMINGTON. 
Since  the  publication  of  the  paper,  by  the  writer,  on  the  "  Ready- 
made  Pills  of  our  day,"  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Pharm- 
aceutical Association  for  1875,  in  which  a  pill  press  is  described  and 
figured,  various  improvements  have  been  suggested,  and  have  been 
introduced,  which  materially  assist  in  facilitating  the  operation  of 
compression.    The  accompanying  sketch  will  illustrate  : 
The    cut    represents  a 
double  machine,  and  with  it 
two  or  more  sizes  may  be 
made,  two  and  three  grain 
pills  on  one,  and  four  and 
five  grain  pills  on  the  other, 
one  base  of  cast  steel  an- 
swering for  both, 
j  .3     By  turning  a  conical  de- 
repression in  the  top  of  the 
jgcylinder,  a  sort  of  funnel  is 
^  made,  which  is  a  conveni- 
ence in  introducing  the  powder. 
The  countersunk  depressions  in  the  base,  which  take  the  cylinders, 
prevent  them  from  slipping  away  in  case  a  side  blow  is  struck.  Some 
of  the  machines  have  been  made  with  the  lower  mould  stationary,  and 
no  depressions  for  the  cylinders  to  fit  into  ;  this  form  has  some  advan- 
tages, but  is  not  believed  to  be  as  useful  as  that  described  above,  for 
an  unlucky  side  blow  may  break  ofF  the  stationary  lower  mould,  as  it 
is  made  of  hard  steel,  and  this,  of  course,  would  be  a  fatal  accident. 
The  middle  depression  in  the  base  has  an  aperture  which  pierces  it 
all  the  way  through,  and,  after  the  blow  is  struck  and  the  pill  still 
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