400 



MATERIA MEDICA 



in Dr. Thomson's Tables, and it is equally clear, that neither 

 Nysten or Hazard are correct. The following- table of Frencli 

 medical weights is from Nysten's French JNIedical Dictionary : — 



Equal to 



20 gr. 



1 



Centin;rammes 



Livre, the pound Ife 



Once, the ounce ^ 



Scrupule, the scr. 3 



Grain G 



12 oz. are equal to S^ hectogramijies, new weights 



1 ounce to 32 



1 drachm to 4 



1 scruple to 1 



1 srain to 5 



JVew Names. 

 Hectogrammes 

 12 oz. 31 



Grammes 

 8 dr. 32 



Gramme 



5 



grammes 

 grammes 

 gramme 

 centigrammes. 



There is an obvious error in this table ; for if one gramme is 

 equal to one scruple, four grammes must exceed one drachm. If, 

 therefore, four granmies are equal to one drachm, one gramme can 

 only be equivalent to fifteen grains, instead of a scruple or twenty 

 grains. The following tables are also taken from Nysten's Dic- 

 tionary : — 



Old 3Ieasures. New Measures. 



Decilitre. Centilitres. 



1 poisson 125 grammes, or 1 2 



1 demi setier ... 250 or 2 5 



1 chopine 500 or 5 



1 pinte 1000 or 1 litre 



New Measiires. Old Measures. 



Grammes lb. oz. dr. 

 1 Centilitre, equal to 10 or | about a spoonful (cuilleree) 



1 Decilitre 100 or 3 1 about | of a poisson 



1 Litre 1000 or 2 3^ a little more than a quart. 



In Crabb's Technological Dictionary, the French litre is 

 stated to be equal to the 35th part of an English bushel, which 

 contains 8 gallons or 32 quarts. 



In Nysten's last table, 1 centilitre is said to be equal to 10 

 grammes, or half a drachm. This is a considerable error ; for if 

 the gramme be taken only at 15 grains, 10 grammes would 

 amount to 150 grains, or 21 drachms. 



