19th Century Pill Machine

In the mid-19th century, pharmacists, commonly known as apothecaries, created drugs using in-house ingredients. Before drug manufacturing became industrialized, pharmacists relied on their expertise and specialized tools to mix botanical and mineral bases into medicinal products. Pills had to be rolled individually by hand. This process was labor-intensive and time-consuming.

The pill machine made things easier. These machines were first invented in Germany in the mid-18th century and became more sophisticated over time. In 1890, pharmacist and industrial pioneer Eugen Dieterich began mass-producing pharmacy equipment including pill machines from his factory near Dresden. This sparked fierce competition among pharmacists and business entrepreneurs and effectively led to the global industrialization of the pharmaceutical industry. This type of pill machine was produced in the mid to late 19th century. Various inventors took out patents on these machines, which were available from large pharmacy wholesalers.

To create pills, medicinal products were first mixed together and solidified with a “binding agent.” This “pill mass” would then be placed onto the machine and cut. This machine, made of brass and wood, cuts and rolls pills at the same time as the brass plates move back and forth. Operating the machine is more difficult than it looks. If too much pressure is applied when using it, the pills will not be round. These machines were used every day in pharmacies to produce pills to have on hand as needed.

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