AmjS,ri8Sarm-}      Dispensing  Liquids  in  Capsules.  17 
Other  conveniences  might  be  mentioned  but  perhaps  those  already 
brought  to  your  attention  are  sufficient  to  show  that  the  store  in 
which  the  pharmacist  spends  the  most  of  his  life  offers  a  wide  range 
for  inventive  genius. 
DISPENSING  LIQUIDS  IN  CAPSULES. 
By  C.  Carroll  Meyer,  Ph.G. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  Dec.  15. 
In  looking  over  the  December  number  of  the  Alumni  Report,  I 
noticed  among  the  Pharmaceutical  Queries,  one  which  was  of  special 
interest  to  me,  viz:  What  is  the  best  method  of  dispensing  liquids 
in  capsules  ?  I  have  had  considerable  experience  with  this  method 
of  dispensing  liquids,  and  while  mine  may  not  be  the  best  method, 
it  is  a  practical  one  that  any  pharmacist  can  adopt. 
The  appliances  necessary  are  a  minim  measure,  a  pipette,  a 
camel's-hair  pencil,  and  an  empty  shallow  straw  or  card-board  box, 
a  tooth  brush  box  for  instance,  to  make  a  holder  in  which  to  place 
the  capsules.  First  punch  holes  in  the  box,  the  exact  size  of  the 
capsule  to  be  used,  from  y2  to  1  inch  apart.  If  of  a  mechanical 
turn  of  mind  the  pharmacist  can  also  utilize  a  segar  box.  If  minims 
be  ordered,  drop  in  the  capsule  carefully  from  minim  measure.  If 
the  prescription  calls  for  drops  use  a  pipette,  being  careful  in  all 
instances  to  get  the  liquid  inside  of  the  capsule  and  not  on  the  out- 
side. Then  take  the  top  or  cover  of  the  capsule,  moisten  this 
slightly  inside  with  warm  water  using  a  camel's-hair  pencil,  place  the 
cover  or  top  on  the  filled  capsule,  roll  slightly  with  top  up  between 
thumb  and  first  finger  for  several  seconds,  press  gently  but  firmly 
together.  Place  the  capsule  in  the  holder  to  dry  and  set  the  holder 
in  a  cool  place  until  the  joints  are  tight.  In  my  experience  I  find 
that  volatile  oils,  etc.,  work  better  if  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity 
of  a  bland  fixed  oil,  i.  e.,  refined  cotton-seed  oil,  or  the  so-called 
olive  oil. 
Points  to  be  observed :  Care  must  be  taken  to  keep  the 
liquid  from  the  outside  of  the  capsules.  If  the  liquid  gets  on  the 
outside,  throw  the  capsule  away  and  take  a  new  one.  Measure 
the  volumetric  capacity  of  your  capsules  and  always  use  a  capsule 
that  holds  an  amount  in  slight  excess  of  that  required.  As  far  as 
possible,  a  minim  measure  should  be  used. 
