An Improved Medicine to take the place of Pills.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 9th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Medicine to take the place of Pills.
WILLIAM SYSON CUNDY No. 3 Godfrey Hill Woolwich in the County of Kent,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I take podophyllum peltum in powder or a tincture, extract or resin of such
known as podophyllin and mix it with sugar, chocolate or other substance,
flavouring or matter and form it into Parvos (the word Parvo is intended to
signify a portion of any substance more or less hard which can be wholly or
partially disolved in the mouth on its way to the stomach) I cannot call it a
sweetmeat, it is not necessarily sweet, failing to find a word to express exactly
what I mean I invent one and give the exact meaning I wish it to have.
These Parvos are intended to take the place of pills (the word pill is intended
to signify any substance more or less hard not intended to be disolved in the
mouth on its way to the stomach).
Dated the Second day of November 1891.
WILLIAM SYSON CUNDY.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Medicine to take the place of Pills.
WILLIAM SYSON CUNDY of No. 3 Godfrey Hill Woolwich Kent Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The object of this invention is to provide an improved medicine to take the
place of pills. To do this I take podophyllin and mix it with other substances
or things and form the compound into Parvos (a substance more or less hard
which can be wholly or partially disolved in the mouth on its way to the
stomach). It is desirable to leave the mode of making, size, shape, strength,
flavour or admixture with other medicines open (not definately expressed) so
that the inventor may make these Parvos the form, shape, size, strength,
compound or flavour medical men or others may require them and to accomplish
the object of this invention it has been found necessary to invent a means
whereby the nauseousness of the said podophyllin may be more or less disguised.
The way these Parvos may be made are various but a simple way is to make
them as lozenges are usually made. To make such take podophylli resina (resin
of podophyllum) three grains (other preparations of podophyllin could be used)
and one ounce of finely powdered loaf sugar (sometimes called iceing sugar) and
with a little liquid gum mix into a stiff paste, flavouring if desired can now be
added. After dusting a marble slab or smooth board and roller (one of equal
diameter the whole length of it is best) with powdered starch, roll the paste
until it is about one eighth of an inch thick, the starch is to keep the paste
from sticking to the roller and slab or board, take a cutter or piece of thin
tube and cut out discs about half an inch in diameter, the thickness should be
regulated so that thirty Parvos when dry will weigh half an ounce, the portion
of the paste which will be left between the discs can be worked up rolled out
again and cut repeating the operation until there is no paste left, the discs
now require to be carefully dried, this can be done by placing them on a thin

page_text: board (say three eighths of an inch thick) resting on two bricks on the top of
a stove, the board should be dusted with starch to keep the discs from sticking
to it and a covering of paper or otherwise put over it to keep the dirt away,
in no case must they get too hot or they will be spoiled they should dry in
about six days. Five Parvos or discs more or less are a dose for an adult.
course
If it is a stronger Parvo that is required of (say) podophyllin and taraxacum
(commonly called dandelion) in this case it is necessary to disguise the nauseous-
ness of the podophyllin which can be done by adding such flavouring or flavourings
as will overcome the bitterness by distracting the attention from the bitter to
some more aggreeable flavour or flavours, another way of disguising the nauseous-
ness of the podophyllin is to mix it with some substance which is not very
soluble (which will not disolve very much in the mouth but will disolve in the
stomach) and when mixed and hard the compound is ground into a
powder. By this means many particles of the podophyllin will be inside the
pieces of course powder and will thus be kept from acting on the palate or
sense of taste. In the following mode of making the Parvos both methods will
be used first prepare the podophyllin by taking preferably resin of podophyllum
one quarter of an ounce and half an ounce of (say) benzoinum (benzoin) this
is to be melted by being made hot in an earthenware or other pot and when
liquid enough (it should have been liquified and strained before weighing) mix
well with the podophyllin and run it onto a slab and when cold, powder and
sift through a sieve having fourty meshes to the inch (more or less) and the
powder so obtained can again be sifted through a sieve having seventy meshes
to the inch (more or less) and the powder passing through this sieve can be
put back to be remelted. Take 24 grains of the course powder (which should
consist of 8 grains of podophyllin and 16 grains of benzoin) and mix with it
three quarters of an ounce of finely powdered loaf sugar. Take 1 dram (one
eighth of an ounce) of glycyrerhizoe (commonly called liquorice) and melt it
with a little hot water (not too much) it will liquify when hot, to this add one
dram of extractum taraxaci (extract of dandelion) mix and when cold work up
this and the powder with a little liquid gum into a stiff paste now add the
flavouring cayenne (tincture of capsicum) 4 or 5 drops, oil or essence of pepper-
mint, anise, clove, orange, lemon or other flavouring may be used, if the oil is
used 2 or 3 drops will be enough if the essence 10 or 12 drops will be required
roll out as previously described, useing powdered starch to keep the paste from
sticking as before stated, cut out into discs or otherwise and dry but owing to
the teraxacum they may not dry so hard, with thirty Parvos to the half ounce,
two or three, should be a dose for an adult.
Take notice that although benzoin is mentioned it is not necessarily the best
nor the only substance that could be used for the purpose of this invention.
These Parvos eaten like sweetmeats are more agreeable to take than pills
and being more or less disolved in the mouth the medicinal portions of them
are free to act on the stomach directly they enter it and they have this
advantage few pills have they can be wholly or partially disolved in water,
wine or other liquid and so administered to those who prefer them so or to
those who refuse to take them otherwise.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, that what I claim is
1. The preparation of podophyllin (in a condition more or less hard, not in a
liquid) in a manner which will facilitate its being taken or administered and this
is done by mixing it with other matter or things and forming Parvos (a sub-
stance more or less hard, part of which, or one or more of such form a dose,
which substance can be wholly or partially disolved in the mouth on its way
to the stomach) which said Parvos are intended to take the place. of pills
(substances more or less hard which are not intended to be disolved in the mouth
on their way to the stomach).

page_text: 2. I also claim having invented a means whereby the nauseousness of the
said podophyllin can be sufficiently disguised to accomplish the object of this
invention.
Dated the 0th day of December 1891
WILLIAM SYSON CUNDY.