AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF DISPENSING MEDICINES AND PREPARING DRUGS THEREFOR TOGETHER WITH AN IMPROVED PORTABLE MINATURE DISPENSARY AND INSTRU MENT CASE APPLICABLE TO SUCH SYSTEM
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Adolphus Kirby, of Gordon Square; in the
County of Middlesex, Doctor of Medicine; for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED SYSTEM OF DISPENSING MEDICINES AND PREPARING DRUGS THEREFOR
TOGETHER WITH AN IMPROVED PORTABLE MINATURE DISPENSARY AND INSTRU
MENT CASE APPLICABLE TO SUCH SYSTEM."
•
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Adolphus Kirby
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
2nd August 1867.
the
I, EDMUND ADOLPHUS KIRBY, of Gordon Square, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Doctor of Medicine, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF DISPENSING MEDICINES AND PREPARING
DRUGS THEREFOR, TOGETHER WITH AN IMPROVED PORTABLE MINIATURE DISPENSARY
AND INSTRUMENT CASE APPLICABLE TO SUCH SYSTEM," to be as follows:
This improved system is designed for the purpose of affording medical prac-
titioners and others a ready means of dispensing or compounding medicines
without the usual delay of weighing or measuring the various ingredients. It
will also enable medical men to carry with them in a convenient form the
means of compounding and administering at once to the patient the medi-
cament or remedial agent required, and thus obviate the delay and danger
frequently-caused by the ordinary-process-of-writing a prescription and sending
it to a druggist or apothecary to be dispensed or compounded; the drugs will

page_text: also be effectually preserved from the action of the atmosphere and from
evaporation or deliquescence, and will keep unchanged for any length of time.
To effect these objects I propose instead of keeping the drugs (whether
fluid or solid) in bottles or other receptacles containing indefinite quantities,
as now invariably practised, to enclose the drugs separately (either in a fluid
or finely powdered state) in small air-tight envelopes or cases of gelatine or
other suitable material, each containing a certain definite or ascertained
quantity or dose of the pure drug, the said envelopes or cases being enclosed
in glass tubes, bottles, or other receptacles duly labelled with the name of the
drug and the number of grains, minims, or other exact quantity contained in
each envelope or case. In some cases where the drug is in the form of a
powder I mix it into a paste with syrup, gum water, or other simple substance
to cause it to conglomerate, and roll it into globules or pilules (each con-
taining a definite quantity), and I then coat these globules or pilules by
immersion in gelatine or other similar substance. I also combine several
drugs or chemicals in one globule or case to produce certain effects; thus,
calomel and jalap for a purge; ipecacuanha, squills, and opium as an
expectorant and sedative; and in like manner I combine drugs to produce
other therapeutical effects. I employ the gelatine-globules or cases simply as
'envelopes to carry the various drugs in-definite quantities and in a convenient
form, either for dissolving in water for combining their contents with those of
others, or for administering as pills, these powder pills (as they may be called)
having the advantage of being more soluble, and therefore more active and
certain in their operation.
In compounding, combining, or dispensing medicines with drugs prepared
in this manner, scales, weights, and measures are not required: All that is
necessary is to take one, two; or more of the globules, envelopes, or pilules of
the different drugs as may be required,.mix.them together, and if the medi-
cament is to be used in a fluid form add the requisite quantity of water.. If a
portion only of the contents of an envelope should be required it may be
divided with a penknive or other similar instrument (if in a powdered state)
or dissolved in a definite quantity of water, and a half, a quarter, or other
required proportion of the solution taken. For example, to make a mixture
for fever, I take (say) one globule.containing one grain of tartarized antimony,
and six globules.containing each five grains of bicarbonate of potash, and dissolve
them. in four or six ounces of water, and determine the dose. according to the
age and condition of the patient. Again for external use. I.make an eye
lotion in the following manner-One globule of sulphate of zinc. containing
two grains, and one globule of liquid extract of opium containing five grains;

page_text: and-dissolve in water. to the required strength. Any other combinations or
prescriptions may. be made up in a similar manner at a moment's notice and
administered at once to the patient either: internally or externally according
to the effect desired to be produced.
The second part of my Invention has been designed principally with a view
to carrying out the improved system above described, and to supply medical
men with a portable and ready means of dispensing the medicines which they
prescribe during their visits to their patients, and at their own homes, and to
afford a convenient mode of carrying with them besides medicines certain
clinical and other instruments which are necessary and constantly required
at the bedside in the investigation or treatment of disease or injuries, together
with convenient writing materials for taking notes or writing prescriptions.
The Invention is also designed and adapted to the requirements of travellers,
colonists, and others resident at a distance from medical men and chemists,
and it is suitable for domestic use and all the purposes for which a medicine
chest and instrument case are employed, both by professional men and others.
The novelty of this part of the Invention consists principally in the general
construction and arrangement of the case, by which the uses and conveniences
of several cases are combined in one with compactness and economy of space,
the whole being very portable, light, and elegant in appearance, and combining
in one case the following articles, namely; a pocket instrument case, a catheter
case, an enema apparatus case, and a urinometer case, together with writing
materials and a supply of medicaments and drugs (in certain definite quantities
as above described) and other conveniences necessary for dispensing purposes,
thus comprising in a single portable case those clinical instruments which are
necessary for the correct diagnosis of diseases. and the remedies which are
required for their relief or cure, together with such surgical instruments and
appliances as are in common use for the dressing of wounds, and for various
surgical operations.
.
0
The case (which may be constructed of metal, wood; or other suitable.
material) is made so as to open like a portable desk or despatch box, having
two or more leaves connected by hinges. These leaves are divided by means
of partitions or divisions into separate compartments or spaces of various
forms and sizes adapted to contain the clinical and other instruments and
appliances above referred to, so that each. is kept in its proper place, and
when the case is opened the whole is exposed to view. That leaf or part of
the case which is to contain the glass tubes of medicaments and drugs herein-
-before-mentioned is provided with semi-cylindrical grooves in which the tubes
lie snugly each in its own groove. The case (if of wood or other similar

page_text: material) may be covered with morocco or other leather, and the whole or
parts lined with velvet plush, or other soft material as a precautionary measure
against breakage, and to prevent. the contents from rattling whilst being
carried.
11.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edmund Adolphus Kirby in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st February 1868.
... TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDMUND
ADOLPHUS KIRBY, of Gordon Square, in the, County of Middlesex, Doctor
of Medicine, send, greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant, unto me,, the
said Edmund Adolphus. Kirby, Her special licence that I, the said Edmund
Adolphus Kirby, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such, others
as I, the said Edmund Adolphus Kirby, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully, might, make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and. Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion, for "AN.IMPROVED SYSTEM OF DISPENSING MEDICINES AND PREPARING DRUGS
THEREFOR; TOGETHER WITH AN IMPROVED PORTABLE MINIATURE AND INSTRUMENT
CASE APPLICABLE TO SUCH SYSTEM," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Edmund Adolphus Kirby, my executors or adminstrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edmund Adolphus Kirby, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:-.
This improved system is designed for the purpose of affording medical

page_text: practitioners and others a ready means of dispensing or compounding medicines
without the usual delay of weighing or measuring the various ingredients; it
will also enable medical men to carry with them in a convenient form the
means of compounding and administering at once to the patient the medica-
ment or remedial agent required, and thus obviate the delay and danger
frequently caused by the ordinary process of writing a prescription and sending
it to a druggist or apothecary to be dispensed or compounded; the drugs will
also be effectually preserved from the action of the atmosphere and from
evaporation or deliquescence, and will keep unchanged for any length of
time.
To effect these objects I propose, instead of keeping the drugs (whether
fluid or solid) in. bottles or other receptacles containing indefinite quantities,
as now invariably practised, to enclose the drugs separately (either in a fluid
or finely powdered state) in small air-tight envelopes or cases of gelatine or
other suitable material, each containing a certain definite or ascertained
quantity or dose of the pure drug; the said envelopes or cases being enclosed
in glass tubes, bottles, or other receptacles, duly labelled with the name of the
drug and the number of grains, minims, or other exact quantity contained
in each envelope or case. In some cases where the drug is in the form of a
powder I mix it into a paste with syrup, gum, water, or other simple substance
to cause it to conglomerate and roll it into globules, granules, or pilules
(each containing a definite quantity), and I then coat these globules, granules,
or pilules by immersion in gelatine 'or other similar substance; I also 'coin!
bine several drugs or chemicals in one globule or case to produce certain
effects; thus, calomel and jalap for a purge; ipecacuanha, squills, and opiuni
as an expectorant and sedative, and in like manner I combine drugs to
produce other therapeutical effects. I employ the gelatine globules or cases
simply as envelopes to carry the various drugs in definite quantities and'in a'
convenient form, either for dissolving in water, for combining their contents
with those of others, or for administering as pills; these powder pills (as 'tbey
may be called) having the advantage of being more soluble, and therefore more
active and certain in their operation than the ordinary pills.
"
In carrying out this system in conjunction with my improved portable
miniature dispensary, berein-after described, I arrange and classify the various
remedial preparations in different groups according to their relative therapeu
tical effects. In compounding, combining, or dispensing medicines with
drugs prepared in this manner scales, weights, and measures are not required.
All that is necessary is to take one, two, or more of the envelopes or pilules of
the different drugs as may be required, mix them together, and if the medica-

page_text: If a
ment is to to be used in a fluid form add the requisite quantity of water.
portion only of the contents of an envelope should be required it may be
divided with a penknife or other similar instrument (if in a powdered state)
or dissolved in a definite quantity of water and a half, a quarter, or other
required proportion of the solution taken. For example, to make a mixture
for fever I take (say) one globule containing one grain of tartarized antimony,
and six globules containing each five grains of bicarbonate of potash, and
dissolve them in four or six ounces of water, and determine the dose according
to the age and condition of the patient. Again for external use I make an
eye lotion in the following manner :-One globule of sulphate of zinc con-
taining two grains, and one globule of liquid extract of opium containing five
grains, and dissolve in water to the required strength. Any other combina-
tions or prescriptions may be made up in a similar manner at a moment's
notice, and administered at once to the patient, either internally or externally,
according to the effect desired to be produced.
The second part of my Invention, has been designed principally with a view
to carrying out the improved system above described, and to supply medical
men with a portable and ready means of dispensing the medicines which they
prescribe during their visits to their patients, and at their own homes, and to
afford a convenient mode of carrying with them, besides medicines, certain
clinical and other instruments which are necessary and constantly required
at the bedside in the investigation or treatment of disease or injuries, together
with convenient writing materials for taking notes or writing prescriptions.
The Invention is also designed and adapted to the requirements of travellers,
colonists, and others resident at a distance, from medical men and chemists,
and it is suitable for domestic use and all the purposes for which a medicine
chest and instrument case are employed, both by professional men and
others..
The novelty of this part of the Invention consists principally in the general
construction and arrangement of the case, by which the uses and conveniences
.of
of several cases are combined in one with compactness and economy. space,
the whole being very portable, light, and elegant in appearance, and com-
bining in one case the following articles, namely:-A pocket instrument
case, a catheter case, an enema apparatus case, and a urinometer case,
together with writing materials and a supply of medicaments and drugs (in
certain definite quantities, as above described), and other conveniences neces
sary for dispensing purposes; thus comprising in a single portable case those
clinical instruments which are necessary for the correct diagnosis of disease
and the remedies which are required for their relief or cure, together with

page_text: such surgical instruments and appliances as are in common use for the dressing
of wounds, and for various surgical operations.
.
The case (which may be constructed of metal, wood, or other suitable
material) is made so as to open like a portable desk or despatch box, having
two or more leaves connected by hinges; these leaves are divided by means
of partitions or divisions into separate compartments or spaces of various
forms "and sizes, adapted to contain the clinical and other instruments and
appliances above referred to, so that each is kept in its proper place, and
when the case is opened the whole is exposed to view. That leaf- or part
of the case which is to contain the glass tubes of medicaments and drugs
herein-before mentioned is provided with semi-cylindrical grooves in which
the tubes lie snugly each in its own groove. The case (if of wood or other
similar material) may be covered with morocco or other leather, and the
whole or parts lined with velvet, plush, or other soft material, as a precau
tionary measure against breakage and to prevent the contents from rattling
whilst being carried. It will be evident that the case may (if preferred) be
made in the form of a travelling bag, as herein-after.described.
In order that the construction and arrangement of my improved miniaturė
dispensary and instrument case may be distinctly understood I have annexed,
hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same
with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof.
Figure 1 represents the miniature dispensary and instrument case closed,
and Figure 2 shows the same open as a desk only, the upper part a, a, forming
a slope for writing upon; Figure 3 shows the leaf b, b, open, and the drawer
c, c, pulled partly out so as to expose the clinical and surgical instruments,
and Figure 4 is a view with the lid of the part a, a, opened and the leaf d, d,
thrown back, so as to give access to the whole of the medicaments or com-
pounds both in the lid a, a, and the body of the case e, e. Figures 5 and 6
show two views of the same when arranged in the form of a bag, Figure 5
representing the bag as closed, and Figure 6 showing the same open. The
bag is made with a square opening, and has several pockets both inside and
for containing the various clinical and other instruments, together with
lint, oil silk, &c. The tubes containing the drugs are supported in loops or
tucks attached to both sides of the central division or diaphragm f, f; this
central division or diaphragm is so arranged and constructed that it can be
removed from the bag, and will stand on a table for convenience of access to
the drugs.

page_text: and the case, may be varied to a very great extent without departing from
the characteristic features of my Invention.
Having now described the nature and object, of my said Invention for "An
Improved System of Dispensing Medicines and Preparing Drugs therefor,
together with an Improved Portable Miniature Dispensary and Instrument
Case applicable to such System," together with the manner in which the same
is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark
in conclusion that I claim as my Invention,
Firstly, the novel and peculiar method or system of dispensing medicines
and preparing drugs therefor, substantially as herein-before set forth.
Secondly, I claim in connection or combination therewith the improved
portable dispensary and instrument case, constructed and arranged substan-
tially as above described and represented on the annexed Drawing, or any mere
modification or imitation thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Adolphus Kirby, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this First day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight..
Witness;
GEORGE DAVIES, C. E.,
Patent Agent,
1, Serle St., Lincoln's Inn.
EDMUND A. KIRBY.. (L.S.)