A SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL 
SOCIETY 
Was held, pursuant to notice, at the house of the Society, 17, Bloomsbury Square, 
on Wednesday, the 10th of June, for the purpose of considering a Bill now be¬ 
fore Parliament for decimalizing our existing system of weights and 
measures ; Mr. Sandford, President, in the chair. 
The President, in opening the meeting, said they had met in compliance 
with a resolution passed at the late Anniversary Meeting, to consider what steps 
should be taken with reference to the Bill before Parliament for introducing a 
new system of weights and measures into this country. The subject had been 
brought under the notice of the Council and of the general meeting of members 
by his predecessor, Mr. Squire, and he was sorry that gentleman did not occupy 
the chair on the present occasion, as he had given much attention to the question 
they had to discuss. This, however, w r as not the first time they had met to dis¬ 
cuss the subject of weights and measures. He recollected that some two or three 
years ago a proposition was made to alter the weights used in pharmacy, but that 
was only a proposition to shift from one uncertain standard to another ; and the 
opinion then expressed was, that if any change were made, it should be to the me¬ 
trical system at once. He therefore thought the measure now proposed would meet 
with their general approval, as it was almost universally admitted that the French 
metrical system was superior to old systems existing in this country. There were 
some few exceptions taken to parts of the metrical system, as, for instance, he 
had heard it objected that the proposed new yard or metre, which would be 
thirty-nine inches and a fraction, would be an inconvenient measure for use 
by linendrapers with short arms. That the weights and measures in use in this 
country were defective and unsatisfactory was, he thought, beyond all question. 
This had been proved by the difficulty experienced in restoring the standard 
that was destroyed when the Houses of Parliament were burnt down. The 
commissioners then appointed had, it was true, restored the standard after 
great labour, but they had stopped short of establishing a system upon a scien¬ 
tific basis. There formerly existed great discrepancies in the weights and 
measures used for different purposes. Thus, they had a beer-measure and a wine 
and spirit-measure, which differed; the former beiug larger than the latter, 
because beer was subject to froth, for which space w r as allowed. They were 
told that in Japan fans and mats were units of measure, and although they 
might be disposed to ridicule such standards, their English measures were in their 
origin equally uncertain. Thus the inch was originally estimated by four barley¬ 
corns placed side by side, and afterwards by three barleycorns placed end to 
end. Surely the French system was superior to this, being based upon a 
measurement that was not subject to variation. He had, to be sure, read a 
work written to prove that the earth was increasing in size, and that its circum¬ 
ference was found sensibly greater at intervals of fifty years. It was generally 
admitted, however, that the French metre was a good and reliable standard, 
and he thought that system was the best that had been introduced,—far superior 
to the English. Even the imperial weights and measures of this country, which 
were now established by law, were but a slight improvement upon the state of 
things previously existing, and as they were not applicable to all the purposes of 
pharmacy, a separate system had to be used in medicine, which was a source of 
much confusion. Almost the only chance there appeared to be of effecting a 
real improvement in the existing system of weights and measures in this country, 
was by passing the Bill now before Parliament, and he thought it was well worth 
the consideration of the meeting whether they should not petition the Legislature 
in favour of this measure. 
Mr. Squire supposed it w r ould be expected, as the proposition for holding the 
