|  |  |
Search by Word Cloud:
Motherhood Medal Nurses Treatment antisepsis 'Uncurables' Lister KGH Irritants Respirology Pharmacy Doctors Women Men 'Torture or Technology?' Canadian The Habit Instruments Obstetrics Great War Military Ideology & Knowledge Models Forceps Jubilee Cardiology Disinfection Neurosurgery Patients OphthalmologyPill Silverer
| ACCESSION NUMBER: | 009027004 a-b |
| Object Name: | Pill Silverer |
| Manufacturer: | Unknown |
| Date Made: | early 19th century |
| MeSH Code: Medical Subject Headings | Pharmacy-Instrumentation |
ARTEFACT DESCRIPTION
Medicinal pills were first coated with sugars and honeys in the 9th century, to mask repulsive odours and tastes. In the 17th century, pharmacists began coating pills in gold and silver leaf to appeal to the most affluent members of society who regarded this luxury as a symbol of status. This primarily aesthetic undertaking had also the side effect of delaying the absorption of the pill, if not rendering it entirely inert.
The apothecary – as the pharmacist was known at the time – mixed the ingredients and rolled the pills by hand, using pill tiles or machines. Then, pills were moistened with Arabic gum or mucilage and placed inside a pill silverer lined with gold or silver leaf. The top was fastened and the pill silverer was lightly shaken, rotating the pills around the interior for several minutes and coating them in the leaf. A pharmacy text from 1762 cautions that pills must be neither too hard nor too soft to be perfectly gilded, as the leaf will not stick properly if too hard and too much will adhere if soft, ruining the smooth appearance of the ideal pill.
The practice of coating pills in gold or silver continued into the early twentieth century.
Related: Pill Machine , Medicine Chest
Leave a Reply