WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES  OF  THE  PHARMACOPOEIA.  27 
a  change.  In  giving  due  thought  and  attention,  however,  to  so 
important  a  matter,  the  writer  cannot  agree  with  those  who  ad- 
vocate the  change  about  to  be  made  by  the  council  of  British 
Colleges,  nor  with  those  who  desire  a  sudden  and  more  radi- 
cal change  to  the  French  system.  At  the  same  time  the  numer- 
ous and  great  advantages  of  the  decimal  system  over  any  other 
that  is  practicable,  and  the  rapidity  of  its  advances  into  general 
favor  and  appreciation,  seem  to  indicate  that  the  time  is  not  very 
distant  when  it  might  be  adopted  with  some  security  of  its 
coming  speedily  into  general  use.  In  view  of  these  circum- 
stances, no  intermediate  change  like  that  adopted  in  Great 
Britain  would  be  advisable,  since  it  is  far  better  to  suffer  the 
present  inconveniences,  than  involve  the  necessity  of  two 
changes  to  reach  the  desired  object. 
At  the  same  time  it  appears  to  the  writer  that  there  is  a 
course  by  which  the  disadvantages  of  the  present  system  might 
be  avoided,  and  a  greater  degree  of  accuracy  attained,  without 
the  revolution  which  must  necessarily  attend  the  adoption  of 
a  new  system. 
This  course  is,  first,  to  abolish  measures  of  capacity  altogether, 
and  to  define  quantities  by  weight  alone,  and  secondly,  to  sub- 
stitute the  term  "parts,"  meaning  parts  by  weight,  for  the 
troy  weights,  and  measures  in  all  the  formulae  of  the  Pharma- 
copoeia. 
The  principal  objection  to  measures  of  capacity  in  an  authori- 
tative standard  is  the  want  of  accuracy  in  practice  entailed  by 
incorrect  adjustment  and  graduation,  by  differences  in  reading 
the  measuring  line,  and  by  the  change  of  volume  incident  to 
change  of  temperature  in  liquids.  By  weighing  instead  of 
measuring,  these  sources  of  inaccuracy  are  in  great  degree 
avoided,  whilst  simplicity  and  uniformity  are  attained,  and 
costly  fragile  articles  of  apparatus  are  dispensed  with,  except 
for  prescription  uses.  Improved  accuracy  and  simplicity  would 
be  the  main  points  gained,  whilst  in  convenience  and  celerity  of 
manipulation  very  little  would  be  lost. 
In  substituting  parts  by  weight  for  both  weights  and  measures 
the  prominent  advantage  would  be  that  all  kinds  of  weights 
would  be  equally  applicable,  the  accuracy  of  the  practice  de- 
pending upon  the   ratio  alone.    The  operator  may  at  will 
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