AmM?y,r'i8^!rm'j      Modern  Methods  in  Pharmacy,  201 
A  review  of  the  history  of  the  introduction  of  "  cachets  de  pain  "  in 
this  country,  will  explain  the  opposition  that  has  been  urged  against 
them.  If  we  are  correctly  informed,  a  pharmacist  of  a  Western  city, 
on  a  visit  to  Paris,  saw  the  cachets,  and  being  informed  of  their  pop- 
ularity, obtained  from  M.  Limousin  a  lever  press  and  wafer  discs, 
which  he  successfully  introduced  into  his  own  trade.  Recognizing 
merit  in  the  method,  he  imported  more  of  the  discs,  with  a  view  of 
selling  them  to  the  profession  ;  but  instead  of  importing  the  presses  of 
Limousin,  and  continuing  to  import  his  wafer  discs,  which  leave  noth- 
ing to  be  desired,  arrangements  were  made  to  supply  presses  and  discs 
of  home  manufacture,  greatly  inferior  to  the  French,  and  at  prices 
higher  than  Limousin's  should  have  been  sold  for. 
This  condition  of  things  engendered  opposition,  and,  in  our  opinion, 
prevented  the  general  adoption  of  the  method,  or  at  least,  made  it  un- 
popular with  some.  The  press  and  wafers  of  American  manufacture, 
which  we  have  seen,  are  not  to  be  compared  with  Limousin's  ;  hence, 
we  are  not  surprised  that  the  former  should  not  be  received  with  favor. 
The  time  consumed  in  the  preparation  of  cachets  is  urged  as  an 
objection  to  their  use.  This,  time  and  experience  will  overcome,  for 
it  matters  not  how  skillful  the  operator,  the  application  of  any  new 
method  will  be  found  troublesome  at  first.  Skill  is  the  result  of 
observation  and  experience.  In  this  connection  we  will  briefly  review 
an  essay  on  "cachets  de  pain,"  in  the  "American  Journal  of  Phar- 
macy," vol  xlviii.  No.  3,  p.  100.  The  writer  refers  to  them  as  "wafer 
discs  found  in  the  market  under  the  name  of  cachets  de  pain."  To  be 
correct,  the  wafer  discs  are  the  material  used  in  preparing  cachets  de 
pain  (envelopes  of  bread).  These,  when  enclosing  medicines,  are 
known  as  medicated  cachets  (cachets  medicamenteux).  The  writer 
calls  the  method  the  "theory  of  the  inventor,"  which  is  incorrect,  for 
when  a  fact  is  demonstrable,  as  this  is,  it  cannot  be  called  a  theory. 
The  writer's  directions  for  preparing  the  cachets,  and  his  mode  of 
administration,  deserve  notice.  The  edges  of  each  disc  should  not  be 
moistened,  as  he  recommends,  but  the  marginal  edges  of  one  only,  and 
that  very  slightly  (experience  is  worth  something  at  this  point),  and  in 
taking  the  cachets,  if  properly  moistened,  no  trouble  is  experienced  in 
swallowing  them.  If  properly  prepared,  they  will  not  adhere  to  the 
press,  nor  to  each  other  when  placed  in  a  box,  as  mentioned  by  the 
essayist ;  neither  will  they  "cleave  to  the  roof  of  the  mouth"  if  properly 
