Pharmacy Equipment, General Brockedon's metal pill die with three boxes of pills, 1843

Pharmacy Equipment, General Brockedon's metal pill die with three boxes of pills, 1843. Pills have been used as a means of delivering a measured dose of a medicine since approximtely 1500 BC. William Brockedon invented this machine for producing pills in 1843. Powder was poured into a tube, and then compressed with a mallet until solid. It was initially designed by Brockedon, a keen artist, to produce superior quality, less friable graphite pencil leads. A drugs manufacturer saw another potential use for the invention, however, and hired Brockedon, who was granted a patent for ïShaping Pills, Lozenges and Black Lead by Pressure in Dies. Prior to this, techniques of making pills required moisture to bind the ingredients together, which could render the medicinal components ineffective. ©SSPL/Science Museum