IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOUNDING MEDICINES IN THE FORM OF PILLS."
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT.to William Lewis, of Piccadilly, in the County
of Middlesex, Surgeon and Apothecary, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOUNDING MEDICINES IN THE FORM OF PILLS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said. William Lewis at.
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,. on
the 1st October 1852.
I, WILLIAM LEWIS, of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex,
5-Surgeon and Apothecary, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMPOUNDING MEDICINES IN THE FORM
OF PILLS" to be as follows:-
The Invention consist of rolling out the compounded medicine, when
in a plastic state, into sheets, and then passing such sheets between
cylinders or rollers having corresponding indents to produce spherical
forms suitable for pills.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Lewis in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM LEWIS, of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Surgeon
and Apothecary, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Lewis, Her special
licence that I, the said William Lewis, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Lewis, 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN COMPOUNDING MEDICINE IN THE FORM OF PILLS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Lewis, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 William Lewis, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner, the same, is to
be performed, to be.. particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof (that is to say): .
The Invention consists in rolling out the compounded medicine, when
in a plastic state, into sheets, and then pressing such sheets between
cylinders or rollers having corresponding indents to produce sperical
forms suitable for pills. And in order that my said Invention may be

page_text: most fully understood, and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to
describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
"
Figure 1, is a transverse section of the machine used for forming the
compounded medicine when in a plastic state into pills; Figure 2, is a
longitudinal section thereof; Figure 3, is a plan; and Figure 4, shows
some of the details separately on a somewhat larger scale than the
other Figures. a, a, are two cylinders having similar and corresponding
recesses formed thereon; in each of these recesses is a forcer b, for de-
livering the pills from the recesses should they adhere. These forcers are
fixed on bars b', which are guided by the plates c, with radial slits, and
in order that they may at all times have a tendency to remain within the
cylinders, springs d, d, are used on the end forcers of each bar b', such
outer forcers b, acting only for that purpose and for guiding the others
by passing through holes e, in the cylinders, as shown; f, f, are scrapers
or doctors for removing any of the matters which may adhere. The
cylinders revolve on the fixed axes g.g; such axes have formed or fixed
thereon cams g, g', for the purpose of acting on the forcers, and thus
forcing out the pills from the recesses by causing the forcers to move
out; and h, h, are scrapers by which any adhering matters are removed
from the ends of the forcers. In some cases the compounded medicine
is first rolled into sheets in as dry a state as may be, and in order that
the same may not adhere to the moulding cylinders a, suitable powder
is dusted over the surfaces, and the sheets of a proper width are then
passed between the cylinders, and thus moulded, but it is not essential
that the compounded medicine should be first rolled into sheets. i, is a
hopper, which is used when the medicine is not first rolled into sheets ;
into this hopper the compounded medicine is placed in as dry a state
as possible, and only rendered plastic to an extent to hold together
when pressed into shape by the moulding cylinders, a. Motion is
given to the machine by means of the crank handle j, which gives
motion by the pinion k, to the cog wheel 1, fixed on one of the
cylinders a, and the two cylinders a, a, are geared together by means
of the cog wheels m, m.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of iny Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I inake, no
claim to the parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details
shown and described, provided the peculiar character of my Invention
as herein described be retained; but what I claim is, the combination
of mechanical parts herein described for compounding medicine in the
form of pills..
In witness whereof, I, the said William Lewis, have hereunto,
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
EDWARD LEVETT.
WILLIAM LEWIS. (L.S.).