224 
BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CON^ERE^XE. 
What is asked of chemists and druggists, is to aid in promoting the general 
adoption of a system of weights, measures, and coins which shall be in accord 
with the existing universal system of numbers. It is, perhaps, impossible to 
realize, much more express the advantages we enjoy from the fact, that in 
every country of the world the system of numeration is identical. That sys¬ 
tem is a decimal one. There are those who tell us an octavial would have 
been more convenient, but the universality of the decimal method of counting 
must obtain for it unquestioned preference. Whatever language a man 
speaks, his method of numbering is decimal; his talk concerning number is 
decimal; his written or printed signs signifying number are decimal. With 
the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, he represents all possible variation in 
number, the position of a figure in reference to its companions alone deter¬ 
mining its value, a figure on the left-hand of any other figure in an allocation 
of numeral symbols (for example, 1866) having ten times the value of that 
figure, while the figure on the right-band of any other has a tenth of the 
value of that other. When the youngest apprentice is asked how many units 
there are in 1866, he smiles at the simplicity of the question, and says 1866. 
How many tens.P 186, and 6 over. How many hundreds? 18, and 66 over. 
How many thousands? 1, and 866 over. But if he is asked how many 
scruples there are in 1866 grains, how many drachms, how many ounces—he 
must probably bring out his slate and pencil. And so with the pints or 
gallons in 1866 fluid ounces, or the feet and yards in 1866 inches, or the 
pence, shillings, and pounds in 1866 farthings; to say nothing of cross ques¬ 
tions such as the value of 1866 articles at 9^. Q)d. per dozen ; and to say nothing 
of perplexity caused by the varying values of several individual weights or of 
measures of length, capacity, and surface in different parts of the country. 
What is desired, then, is that there should be an equally simple decimal rela¬ 
tion among weights and measures and coins as already universally exists 
among numbers. This condition of things having already been accomplished 
in other countries, there is no good reason why it should not be accomplished 
in this. It is, doubtless, possible to decimalize our own weights, measures, 
and coins, but such a course would be difficult, added to which the day has 
passed for the consideration of such a scheme. France, Holland, Belgium, 
Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Greece, and South America generally, 
have all adopted a decimal system founded on a measure of length (about 
eleven-tenths of our yard) appropriately called the metre ; the Hnited States,* 
Austria, Prussia, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Bussia give 
indications of adopting it sooner or later, and the same system was legalized 
by Act of Parliament in our own country in 1864. From the metre are 
derived the unit measure of weight, the gramme, the unit measure of capacity, 
the litre, and the unit measure of surface, the are. 1866 metres contain 186 
decametre?, and 6 over, or 1 Jcilometre and 866 over. 1866 grammes contain 
1 Jcilogrrrmme and 866 over. And so on, the prefixes deca-, hecto-, kilo-, 
myrio-, indicating multiples, deci-, centi-, milli-, submultiples. The coins 
attached to the system have a similar decimal relation, and may indeed be 
used as metrical weights if not much worn. This metrical (^. e. metre-ical) 
system having been adopted in every case in which change has been made, it 
is incumbent on us to adopt it in preference to any other decimal system. 
There are, doubtless, serious difficulties attendant upon a change afiecting 
the daily, nay hourly transactions of every individual in a kingdom,—diffi¬ 
culties caused even more by association than calculation, for the latter is only 
a matter of education, easily and quickly acquired, while it takes years to 
* There is a coin of the United States in the collection, 5 cents in value, 5 gi-ammes in 
weight, and 2 centimetres in diameter. 
