222 
Spoonful  Doses. 
Am.  .lour.  Pharm. 
May,  1902. 
Or,  as  an  alternative,  should  we  adopt  the  French  equivalents,  as 
given  by  some  authorities:  these  are  5,  10  and  20  c.c.  and  preserve 
the  relations  1,2,  4,  as  used  in  our  present  equivalents  I,  2  and  4 
drams  ? 
As  might  have  been  expected,  the  answers  received  show  that 
there  is  considerable  difference  of  opinion  on  the  questions  as  stated. 
Let  us  take  up,  first,  the  question  of  promulgating  a  definition  for 
the  term  spoonful. 
Of  the  first  sixty  answers  received,  four  were  negative,  six  were 
evasive  or  non-committal,  and  fifty  were  in  favor  of  a  definition,  and 
were  satisfied  with  that  given  by  the  French  Codex. 
Of  the  four  that  objected  to  a  definition,  two  objected  to  the  use 
of  spoons  as  medicine  measures,  and  suggested,  that  in  a  matter  so 
important  as  the  administration  of  medicines  should  be,  there  would 
be  no  excuse  for  any  one  not  being  able  to  provide  an  accurately 
graduated  medicine  glass. 
Two  others  objected  to  a  definition,  feeling  that  it  would  be  of 
no  advantage,  as  the  personal  equation  of  the  individual  doing  the 
measuring  could  not  be  eliminated  by  any  known  means  of  instruc- 
tion or  demonstration. 
As  will  be  seen,  by  far  the  greater  number  of  answers  were  in 
favor  of  a  definition,  as  tending  to  greater  accuracy,  if  for  no  other 
reason  than  calling  the  attention  of  the  physician  to  the  possible 
variation  in  the  quantity  that  a  spoon  will  hold  when  even,  or  when 
heaping  full.  This  single  possibility  would  appear  to  be  of  sufficient 
importance  to  warrant  the  adoption  or  promulgation  of  such  a  defi- 
nition. For,  as  is  urged,  if  once  the  physician's  attention  has  been 
properly  called  to  the  possible  variation  in  measured  doses,  he  will, 
in  important  cases  at  least,  call  the  attention  of  the  nurse  or  patient 
to  the  necessity  of  exercising  a  certain  amount  of  care  in  measuring 
out  doses  of  active  or  important  medicines. 
In  answer  to  the  question  on  the  most  desirable  equivalents  for 
the  various  spoons  in  metric  quantities,  the  replies  were  as  follows : 
Six  suggested  the  use  of  4,  8  and  16  c.c.  as  being  in  conformity  with 
present  practice  and  not  necessitating  the  learning  of  a  new  set  of 
equivalents  or  a  new  relation  of  these  equivalents. 
Thirty-six  were  in  favor  of  the  equivalents  5,  10  and  15  c.c.  as 
being  in  keeping  with  a  decimal  system  of  notation,  and  also  because 
these  quantities  correspond  very  nearly  with  the  actual  capacities  of 
spoons  available  at  the  present  time. 
