10 
French  Metric  System,  Orthography. 
f  Am  Jour.  Pharni, 
{      Jan.,  1881. 
and  the  Greek,  ^ezpov  (a  measure),  are  the  sources  of  its  derivation  ; 
the  same  word  in  French  is,  of  course,  metre,  pronounced  ma^tr.  As 
a  measure  of  length,  and  tlie  foundation  of  the  metrical  system,  the 
word  belongs  to  the  French,  for  it  originated  with  them  in  this  signih- 
cation.  Now  why  should  the  etymology  be  destroyed  by  an  alteration 
which  does  not  substitute  a  simpler  word,  but  merely  changes  the 
jiosition  of  the  last  two  letters  ? 
Besides  this  we  have  the  well-known  and  common  English  word 
meter,  which  does  not  mean  a  measure,  but  a  measurer,  an  instrument 
for  measuring,  as  gas-meter,  Avater-meter,  coal-meter.  Now,  all  will 
agree  that  one  of  the  greatest  faults  of  the  English  language  is,  that 
we  have  so  many  words  spelt  and  pronounced  alike,  yet  with  different 
significations.  Would  it  not  be  much  better  to  keep  meter  for  a 
measurer  and  retain  metre  for  a  measure?  Litre  is  a  French  word  from 
the  Greek  Xcrpo.  (a  silver  coin)  it  is  proposed  to  spell  it  liter,  and  there 
is  even  less  ground  for  the  change  here,  as  the  word  litre  originated 
entirely  with  the  French,  and  was  not  known  before  they  applied  it  to 
the  measure  of  capacity  in  the  metrical  system.  Yet  probably,  for 
consistency,  so  long  as  the  caprice  was  decided  upon  in  the  case  of 
metre,  the  last  two  letters  here  must  be  transposed. 
Gramme,  the  unit  of  weight,  is  the  only  term  which  is  shortened  by 
the  proposed  change,  the  last  two  letters  are  to  be  entirely  dropped,  and 
it  is  to  be  sj)elt  gram. 
But  we  have  a  positive  and  serious  objection  to  the  use  of  this 
mutilated  term  in  pharmacy ;  it  unfortunately  happens  that  the  script 
letter  m  is  very  easily  rendered  in,  and  that  this  would  frequently  hap- 
pen in  reading  prescriptions  there  is  no  doubt.  Grams  and  grains 
dilFer  greatly  in  value — one  weight  is  fifteen  and  a  half  times  the  other^ 
and  in  the  dangerous  transition  stage  Avhich  must  come  as  the  system 
is  introduced — it  makes  one  shudder  to  think  that  the  life  of  a  patient 
may  then  hang  upon  the  clear  and  distinct  dotting  of  the  i.  |  On 
the  other  hand  it  cannot  be  said  that  abbreviations  would  be  used,  and  that 
a  physician  would  not  wTite  out  either  grams  or  grains,  but  abbreviate. 
This  could  not  be  done  safely,  as  gr.  is  the  abbreviation  for  grains,  the 
difference  between  the  abbreviation  Gr.,  for  grammes  and  gr.,  for  grains, 
is  not  sufficient  to  designate  them.  The  only  safe  plan  is  to  use  the 
word  grammes  and  spell  it  out,  and  instead  of  the  decimal  point  use  a 
decimal  line.  Every  practical  pharmacist  can  recall  the  moment 
of  doubt  and  uncertainty  during   his   professional   life  when  the 
