250      GELATIN  INSTEAD  OF  METAL  FOR  BOTTLE  CAPSULES. 
assuredly  to  the  appearance  of  the  shop  of  a  pharmaceutist,  a 
perfumer  or  an  oil  and  Italian  warehouseman,  by  whom  a  large 
amount  of  capsules  have  been  used.  These  are  some  of  the 
drawbacks  to  metallic  capsules,  to  say  nothing  of  any  vexation 
on  their  account  from  other  sources. 
In  gelatine  we  have  a  substance  which,  in  the  matter  of  cap- 
ping, may  be  turned  to  account  in  more  ways  than  one  ;  still 
there  are  some  obstacles  in  the  way  to  perfection,  but  only  such 
as  may  be  overcome.  There  is  room  left  by  the  writer  of  the 
"Temple  Bar"  article  for  a  considerable  amount  of  practical 
working.  It  would  seem,  upon  the  first  reading,  that  it  is  only 
requisite  to  melt  the  gelatine,  color  it  to  taste,  dip  in  the  corks 
and  necks  of  the  bottles,  and  in  a  twinkling,  like  the  tricks  in  a 
pantomime,  the  thing  is  done.  Let  us  see  what  really  occurs. 
Having  melted  the  gelatine  with  as  little  water  as  necessary,  and 
if  any  dirt  be  present  having  strained  it,  the  requisite  quantity 
of  glycerin  being  added,  and  also  some  liquid  cochineal  to  give 
a  tint,  the  cork  and  neck  of  the  bottle  is  dipped  into  it,  taking 
care  to  have  plenty  of  the  material  and  sufficient  room  for  the 
bottle ;  and  the  result  is  this,  that,  there  being  no  slanting  side- 
walls  to  the  corks,  the  melted  gelatine  sticks  about  the  cork, 
runs  down  the  sides  over  the  rim  of  the  neck  of  the  bottle,  and 
gives,  to  say  the  least,  a  very  unsightly  appearance.  If  the  cork 
is  cut  flush  with  the  mouth  of  the  bottle,  a  better  thing  is  made  ; 
but  the  solution  being  transparent,  although  colored,  the  top  of 
the  cork  or  bung  shows  through,  and  has  by  no  means  a  neat 
look.  It  is  obvious  that  this  latter  part  is  to  be  remedied  by 
making  the  solution  opaque,  either  with  white-lead,  gamboge, 
dragon's-blood,  or  vermilion,  as  may  be  seen  by  bottles  on  the 
table.  If  the  cork  is  to  be  left  long,  as  in  most  bottles  contain- 
ing liquids,  then  the  side-walls,  so  as  to  form  a  perfect  capsule, 
must  be  first  made  by  tying  over  with  membrane,  leather,  or  pa- 
per, and  then  by  dipping  either  into  the  transparent  or  opaque 
solution,  and  thus  a  very  good  substitute  for  a  capsule  can  be 
made ;  but  as  yet  there  is  nothing  to  indicate  any  particular 
article  or  maker ;  there  is  nothing  to  prove  that  the  covering  has 
not  been  taken  off  and  afterwards  re-tied  and  dipped.  To  meet 
this  want, — and  it  is  a  want,  because  most  capsuled  articles  are 
proprietary  ones, — the  transparent  solution,  either  plain  or  col- 
