100  •      Orthography  of  the  Metric  Units.  { ^'"Mar.^88L 
very  deliquescent.  The  tendency  to  unite  with  magnesium,  calcium 
and  bariimi  oxides  leads  me  to  think  that  solution  is  effected  by  form- 
ing a  salt  more  soluble  than  borax,  and  in  this  connection  I  would 
state  that  I  think  that  the  increased  solubility  of  this  salt  in  glycerin 
is  due  to  the  same  cause.  I  intend  to  devote  more  attention  to  this 
subject  in  the  future. 
THE  ORTHOGRAPHY  OF  THE  METRIC  UNITS. 
By  Prof.  Jos.  P.  Remington. 
The  short  paper  on  this  subject,  by  the  writer,  in  the  January  num- 
ber of  the  ^'American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,^^  has  called  forth  several 
rejoinders  from  the  advocates  of  the  modified  orthography — two  edi- 
torials and  a  paper  from  Prof.  Oldberg,  published  in  the  February 
number.  So  far  as  is  known,  the  subject  has  not  been  ventilated 
before  in  the  journals,  and  the  proposed  adoption  of  the  terms  in  the 
text  of  the  forthcoming  Pharmacopceia  undoubtedly  calls  for  a  consid- 
eration of  the  subject. 
The  first  argument  advanced  by  Prof.  Maisch  is  against  the  writer^s 
proposition  to  retain  the  w^ord  meter  as  a  measurer,  as  applied  to  th& 
measuring  of  coal,  gas  and  water,  which  is  its  present  use,  and  use 
metre  the  original  word  for  the  first  unit  of  the  metric  system.  He 
says,  ^'The  French  employ  the  word  metre  for  the  abstract  measure  as 
well  as  for  tlie  measuring  instruments;"  and  raises  the  question,  Why 
change  the  spelling  for  the  unit  itself,  and  make  a  metre  (the  abstract 
measure)  to  be  measured  by  a  raeterJ^    The  answer  to  this  is,  that  in 
the  English  language  we  would  continue  to  adhere  to  the  custom  of 
calling  the  measurer  of  a  yard  not  a  yard,  but  a  yard  stick;  and  of  a 
foot  not  a  foot,  but  a  foot  rule ;  and  thus  by  analogy  we  would  call 
the  measurer  of  a  metre  a  metre  stick,  and  for  the  subdivisions  the 
centimetre  rule  would  be  used ;  and  even  the  Metric  Bureau  have  used 
these  additions  to  the  terms  to  designate  measures ;  and  upon  this  sub- 
ject Prof.  Oldberg  remarks  (p.  57,  February  number),    If  we  must 
insist  upon  great  nicety  in  preserving  the  original  spelling,  we  would 
write  thermometre,  and  that  a  thermometer  is  a  heat  measurer  and  not 
a  heat  measure  Professor  Remington  will,  of  course,  admit."  The 
reply  to  this  is  that,  theimometre  is  merely  the  French  word  for  a  ther- 
mometer;  this  word  did  not  originate  with  the  French  as  did  metre^ 
litre  and  gramme  as  units  in  their  system,  for  the  instrument  was  first 
