380 
EDITORIAL. 
is  4  graraSj  and  call  it  a  tetram  ;  then  a  weight  representing  8  tetrams  to 
be  called  an  octram,  =  493*8  grs.  to  represent  an  ounce  and  a  third? 
equivalent  to  16  octrams  to  be  called  a  lihi^am  or  pound,  =  7900  grains. 
In  this  way  it  is  presumed  that  a  compromise  could  be  effected,  and  new 
quantities  adopted  for  old  names,  for  practically  that  would  be  the  effect. 
It  would  be  drams,  ounces  and  pounds,  with  a  new  value,  and  not  tetrams, 
octrams  and  librams.  If  a  measure  of  this  kind  should  be  finally  decided 
on,  it  appears  to  us  that  it  would  be  better  to  take  the  half  kilo  for  a 
pound  =  7717  grains,  then,  provisionally,  divide  this  into  sixteen  ounces 
of  482-3  grs.,  which  is  very  near  the  troy  ounce,  with  which  we  are  famil- 
iar in  pharmacy.  This,  unfortunately,  would  do  but  little  towards  ac- 
quainting us  with  metrical  weights,  except  the  half-kilo,  as  the  decimal 
character  would  be  completely  lost  in  the  duodecimal  and  octaval  di- 
vision, thus  : 
Troy.  New. 
1000  grams  kilogram.  =  15434      gr.,  =  2  lbs. 
Troy. 
32  oz.  15360  grs. 
16  oz.  7680 
8  oz.  3840  " 
4  oz.  1920 
2  oz.    960  " 
1  oz.  480  " 
500     "     demi  kilo.         =   7717        "  =  1 
250     "     quarter  kilo.       =   3858*5      "   =  " 
125     "     eighth  kilo.        =   1929-25    "   =  ? 
62-5  "     sixteenth  kilo.  964-625  "  ==  2  oz 
31-25"  32dofkilo.  =  482-3125'^  =1  " 
Now  in  France  the  commercial  retail  practice  has  resorted  to  this  very 
plan  of  halfing  and  quartering,  the  half  kilo,  taking  the  place  of  the  old 
poid  du  marc,  and  in  the  formulae  in  Guibourt's  pharmacy  one  can  see  the 
same  carried  out  in  pharmacy.  If,  then,  we  determine  to  introduce  the 
metrical  system  into  the  Pharmacopoeia  here  with  a  compromise,  let 
some  such  provisional  division  as  that  above  stated  be  adopted  until,  as 
in  money,  we  can  school  ourselves  to  decimal  division.  There  are  many 
who  can  recollect  but  a  few  years  back,  when  the  octaval  division  of  the 
dollar  was  in  almost  exclusive  use,  and  it  was  not  until  the  value  of  the 
ISpanish  12^  cent  piece  was  reduced  by  public  opinion  to  10  cents  that 
they  disappeared.  Should  the  metrical  system  be  introduced,  the  same 
practical  adherence  to  the  old  system  would  follow,  until  time  and  self- 
interest  could  operate  to  degrade  and  reject  the  old  weight. 
German  Journals. — Being  now  in  the  regular  receipt  of  several  Ger- 
man Chemical  and  Pharmaceutical  Journals,  we  have  entered  into  a  busi- 
ness arrangement  with  Prof.  John  M.  Maisch,  by  which  each  number  of 
this  Journal  will  contain  a  regular  contribution  of  translations  from  that 
source.  We  hope  thus  to  give  our  readers  earlier  information  of  obser- 
vations and  discoveries  made  beyond  the  Rhine  and  the  Alps  than  we 
have  heretofore  derived  through  the  French  and  English  journals. 
Errata.— At  page  222,  second  line  from  the  bottom,  read  "  course"  in 
place  of  "  coarse,"  as  printed. 
At  page  226,  fifth  line  from  the  bottom,  read  "fluidrachms"  instead 
of  "  fluidounces,"  as  printed. 
