Bitter and sweet pills

Abstract

Based on linguistic and historical data, this study traces the origins and semantic development of the names of several solid dosage forms, including pills, tablets, and capsules. The history of the examined dosage forms reflects efforts to facilitate medicine intake and ensure accurate dosing. In the Middle Ages and early modern period, the names of sugar- and honey-based medicines, as well as other dosage forms, mostly referred to the shape of the preparations. Since a single term could designate several different preparations, their identification and differentiation is often challenging. With the spread of modern tablets and capsules, older forms of medicine were gradually pushed into the background, and their names either disappeared or underwent semantic change through expansion or narrowing. Many terms related to earlier forms of medicine preparation or use have survived only in fixed phrases and idioms, while the names of some former pharmaceutical products live on in the terminology of confectionery and sweets.