THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
SEPTEMBER,  1902. 
THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES 
IN  ENGLISH-SPEAKING  COUNTRIES. 
By  M.  I.  WlI^BERT, 
Apothecary  at  the  German  Hospital,  Philadelphia. 
That  the  metric  system  of  weights  and  measures  is  finally  making 
headway  among  English-speaking  people  is  evident  from  the  stand 
that  representatives  of  mechanical  and  manufacturing  industries  are 
taking  in  regard  to  it. 
With  scientific  investigators,  metric  weights  and  measures  have 
been  popular  for  some  time;  this  is  especially  true  of  chemists  who 
have  occasion  to  compare  the  results  of  their  work  with  that  done 
in  the  chemical  laboratories  of  Germany  or  other  portions  of  conti- 
nental Europe. 
The  up-to-date  pharmacist  has  also  familiarized  himself  with,  and 
acknowledges  the  advantages  of,  the  metric  system  ;  so  far,  however, 
he  has  been  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule,  and  many  apothe- 
caries, even  in  our  own  country,  are  content  to  have  their  working 
formulas  recalculated  for  them  into  grains,  drachms,  ounces,  pints 
and  pounds  in  preference  to  using  the  simpler  decimal  process  made 
possible  by  the  use  of  metric  quantities. 
While  the  more  conservative  pharmacist  has  persistently  refused 
to  give  the  metric  system  a  fair  trial,  the  manufacturers  of  English 
countries  have  been  getting  practical  lessons  in  the  necessity  of 
adapting  their  products  to  the  needs  and  wants  of  the  foreign  con. 
sumers,  if  they  wish  to  compete  successfully  for  their  trade. 
British  as  well  as  American  manufacturers  are  beginning  to  heed 
the  lesson,  and  in  England  steps  are  being  taken  to  popularize  and 
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