xl 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 



9 



12 



18 



108 



ENGLISH MEASURES. 



In the old editions of the London Pharmacopoeia, the liquids were 

 compounded by Avoirdupois weight ; and the following terms were 

 used for expressing a determinate number of ounces. 



The Cyathus, or Cup . . for 

 Hemina, or Cotyle . • . — 

 Libra^ or pint . . • — 

 Sextarius, or l-6th of a Congius — 

 Congius, or Gallon . . — 



In 1720, when the Pharmacopoeia was improved by Sir Hans Sloane 

 and Dr. Quincy, the liquids were ordered by measure, and the gallon 

 adopted by the London College Avas that just enacted for wine and 

 spirituous liquors, containing 231 cubic inches, divided into 8 pints ; 

 they divided the pint which holds 16 Avoirdupois ounces, 10 drachms, 

 17 grains of water, into 16 ounces, and these into 8 drachms. Smaller 

 quantities were ordered by drops, supposed to be equal to grains ; but 

 now the drachm measure is divided into 60 minims, and graduated 

 tubes used to measure them, so that the old divisions of the Avoirdu- 

 pois ounce were, and are still, retained in respect to liquids. 



Aeriform fluids are measured by cubic inches. 



The relation between wine measure, with the College divisions, and 

 cubic inches, is thus expressed. 



Wine and Medical 

 Measure. 



10 gallons 



3 — ! 



2 — . 



1 — . 



^ gallon, or 4 pints 



2 pints . 



f pint, or 12 oz. me 



dical measure 

 ^ pint, or 8 oz. 

 i pint, or 4 oz. 

 2 oz. 

 1 oz. 

 6 drachms 



4 — . 



Cubic 1000th 

 inches, parts. 



2310.000 



1155.000 



693.000 



462.000 



231.000 



115.500 



57.750 



28.875 



j- 21.645 



14.437 

 7.2I8 

 3.609 

 1.804 

 1.353 

 0.902 



Wine and Medical 

 Measure. 



2 drachms 



1 — . . 

 ^ drachm, or 30 min 



20 minims 

 10 — 

 5 — 



3 — 



2 — 

 1 — 



Scotch gill 

 ■ mutchken 



choppen 



pint 



quart 



gallon 



Cubic 1000th 

 inches, parts. 



0.451 

 0.225 

 ns 0.112 

 0.074 

 0.037 

 0.018 

 0.011 

 0.007 

 0.003 



6.462 



25.85 



51.7 



103.4 



206.8 



827.28 



equal to 41 oz. trone of Tay water, or 55 oz. 

 specific gravity of Tay Avater 100, of Leith 



The Scotch pint n 

 Troy of Leith water 

 water 103. 



Ale and beer measure is seldom mentioned by medical or chemical 

 writers : the gallon contains 282 cubic inches ; 32 gallons are a London 

 barrel of ale, 34 a country barrel of either ale or beer, and 3B a London 

 barrel of beer. Nor is dry measure often used ; the Winchester bushel, 

 of 8 gallons, measures 2150 cubic inches A, or 1 cubic foot .822, and 

 the quarter 8 bushels. 



