In the 1800s, apothecaries used pill machines like this one to make pills of uniform size. This machine is made of brass and wood plates for making pills of 6 grains in size, which is about 389 mg. Here, ginger was measured and ground up, and mixed with rose water to make a paste. The paste was rolled into a tube, laid onto the the flat part of the pill machine. Another wood and brass plate was passed over the bottom plate, forcing the tube into the grooves and making little balls.