8 
REVIEW OF THE DUBLIN PHARMACOPOEIA. 
tion of the pharmacopoeia, and the ordinary commercial article. 
In no instance has the English translation of the Latin name of a 
preparation been directly given ; and it is only when one preparation 
is used in forming another that we can get at the rendering. The 
nomenclature of the preparations has been greatly simplified, and in 
our opinion improved, in the present edition. We do not find a sin- 
gle note of test directions in the book, either attached to the chemi- 
cal articles in the Materia Medica list, or to those among the 
preparations. It may be that the revisors deem a commentary a 
fitter place for these useful directions, than the Pharmacopoeia 
itself ; but we decidedly prefer to have them in the latter. 
Weights and Measures. — Perhaps the most radical change 
which will be found in this work has reference to the system of 
weights. The entire troy standard has been dropped, with the ex- 
ception of the grain, and the avoirdupois pound and ounce adopted. 
The ounce is sub-divided into eight parts called drachms, the 
drachm into three scruples, each of which is valued at 18.22 grs. 
troy. By this change the weights for buying selling and mixing 
are the same, and one fruitful source of error in compounding 
done away — assuming that the new system is adopted in practice. 
Nothing is more usual than to find beginners, and often the more ex- 
perienced, confounding the troy and avoirdupois weight in weigh- 
ing the lesser and greater quantities in officinal formulae and even in 
prescriptions. 
The Imperial gallon and its divisions down to the minim have 
been adopted, so that in fluid measures the three British Codes are 
alike. As the imperial gallon contains exactly 160 avoirdupois 
ounces, and as it contains also 160 fluid ounces, it follows that 
there is a common relation between the weights and measures. 
This affords a means of arriving at the weight of any measure of 
liquid of known specific gravity, as all that is necessary is to multi- 
ply the measure by the specific gravity, to get the weight of the 
liquid. Thus, 11.5 fluid ounces of proof spirit weighs 11. 5 X. 92 
= 10.88 ounces avoirdupois. The innovation not extending to 
the grain weights, renders the drachm and scruple "not multiples 
of a grain by integer numbers," hence the minim and grain have a 
different signification, the minim of water weighing iVftVr g r - 
In order to obviate, as far as possible, the inconvenience of a 
sudden change of weights in the pharmacy of Ireland, Mr. Dono- 
