■AmMarch,i£»2.rm'}     -Dose  Measures  and  Measured  Doses.  129 
practical  purposes  there  was  no  decided  element  of  error  to  be  taken 
into  consideration. 
Table  No.  5  shows  some  of  the  results,  and  illustrates  the  highest 
and  lowest  dose  averages  obtained  from  several  of  the  medicine 
measures  used.  When  we  compare  the  results  given  here  with  the 
diameter  of  the  glasses  as  given  in  Table  No.  3,  we  learn  that 
the  cheapest  available  medicine-glass  may  be  considered  the  most 
accurate  for  all  around  use.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  manu- 
facturer, in  the  first  place,  graduates  these  measures  nearly  correct; 
and,  secondly,  that  in  the  subsequent  use  for  measuring,  a  slight 
variation  of  the  resulting  meniscus  above  or  below  the  line  is  of 
comparatively  little  moment.  With  wide  glasses,  on  the  other  hand, 
a  slight  variation  of  the  engraved  line,  by  the  maker,  or  a  corre- 
sponding variation  of  the  meniscus  of  the  liquid  being  measured, 
makes  a  decided  difference  in  the  amount  of  liquid  actually  measured. 
Here  again  we  may  note  that  the  variations  at  the  teaspoonful 
quantities  are  comparatively  much  greater  than  at  the  tablespoon. 
Altogether  these  tables  would  appear  to  contain  much  food  for 
thought,  and  in  a  general  way  indicate  the  lines  on  which  a  more 
accurate  and  reliable  medicine  measure  might  be  made. 
Another  series  of  experiments,  made  with  a  view  of  obtaining 
some  data  as  to  the  value  of  experience  in  measuring  doses,  are 
shown  in  Table  No.  6.  These  experiments  were  again  made  with 
tea  and  tablespoonful  doses,  and  the  tables  give  the  highest,  lowest 
and  average  quantities  measured  by  respectively  ten  patients,  ten 
nurses,  and  ten  physicians. 
As  was  to  be  expected,  the  greatest  amount  of  variation  occurred,  of 
course,  in  the  use  of  the  spoon  ;  this  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that 
there  is  a  decided  difference  of  opinion  as  to  what  constitutes  a  spoon- 
ful, some  people  considering  a  spoon  full  when  it  is  filled  to  a  point 
where  it  would  become  difficult  to  carry  it  about  without  spilling 
some  of  its  contents.  Others,  on  the  other  hand,  appear  to  contend 
that  a  spoon  is  not  full  "  Until  it  doth  run  over  ;  "  it  is  easily  seen* 
therefore,  how  in  the  one  case  we  may  have  as  the  result  more  than 
donble  what  we  had  in  the  other. 
Pretty  much  the  same  thing  occurs,  however,  with  a  medicine- 
glass  ;  very  few  people,  unless  previously  instructed,  have  any  idea 
how  to  measure  with  a  graduated  measure,  the  great  majority  read- 
ing from  the  upper  edge  of  the  resulting  meniscus,  so  that  under 
