PILK'INGTON, LETITIA (1712-501. An Irish adventuress. horn in Dublin. She was the daughter of Dr. Van Lewen, and married Mat thew Pilkinoton. an Irish clergyman, in 1729. Swift, then Dean of Saint in Dublin.
was attracted by her vivacity and ingenuous manners. and helped her improvident hu-band to get a position in London. Afterward,. the pair were divorced. and Mrs. Pilkington lived in Ire land and England. befriended by Colley Cibber, Samuel Nichard-on. and others. The .Ilemoirs of JIrs. I.a.1 it ia Pilk in y ton . . . writ n by herself, feberein 01.1' occasionally intersprrsed all her poems . . . tfid ed., 17511. have been harshly criticised for their lack of truth, but they are written in :in engaging style and in clude many anecdote- of S NV i ft and bits of per sonal biography. not touched upon by others. Thackeray uses theca freely in hi- English Hu morists.
PILL (from Lat. pilula. abbreviated in medix val to pi/., plural pin.. pill, little ball. diminutive of pi/a. ball 1. The most conven ient and popular form of medicine. Pill- are globular masses of a size convenient for swallow ing, and of a consistence sufficient to preserve their shape and yet not so hard as to be difficult of solution in the stomach or intestines. They are especially suitable for remedies. which operate in small doses. as the metallie salts: substances whose action it is desired to retard until they have reached the intestines: bodies %%hose specific gravity is too inconsiderable to their sus in vehicles: and substances which are disagreeable to the taste or smell. The pill form is. on the other hand. unsuitable
for medicines which it is to give in large doses: fluid or semi-fluid substances. such as oils. etc., which require a very large proportion of sonic dry powder to make them into a mass; and substances so insoluble that when exhibited in solid form they pass through the intestinal canal unaltered. as extract of wood. substances. such as vegetable ex tracts. may be at once formed into without any addition: but most of them require an ex cipient for converting them into a pill mass. The excipients in common use are bread soap. extract of licorice. mucilage, syrup, 1110 la honey. C11401' oil. and confection of roses; the latter is probably the most generally useful. from its property of remaining soft for a consid erahle length of time. It is common to place pills in some fine powder to prevent them from adhering to each other and to conceal their taste. For this purpose licorice powder. wheat flour. starch, magnesia, and lycopodillin are (miployed. Pills made in large numbers and by machinery are often coated with sugar. variously col trod and flavored, gelatin. keratin. and other terials. Pills retain their moisture and activity much longer in bottles than in pasteboard boxes. The ordinary weight of a pill is five grains: if it much exceeds that weight it is too bulky to swallow conveniently, especially if it consist: of vegetable nutter. A pill much larger than this is called a while very small pills are known as granules. See