28        WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES  OF  THE  PHARMACOPOEIA. 
translate  the  word  parts  into  avoirdupois  or  troy  pounds,  or 
half  pounds,quarter  pounds,  ounces,  drachms,  grammes,  scruples, 
or  even  grains  according  to  the  quantities  needed,  or  the  system 
of  weights  he  might  have,  and  yet  the  result  would  be  always  the 
same.  "While  it  would  give  room,  if  desired,  for  a  recommenda- 
tion to  purchase  and  use  the  decimal  weights  in  view  of  their 
ultimate  adoption. 
If  the  initial  number  of  parts  in  each  formula  be  placed 
high  enough,  all  troublesome  fractions  might  be  avoided  ;  whilst 
upon  any  scale  within  the  intended  limits  of  the  officinal  formu- 
lae, the  description  and  manipulation  of  processes  would  be  quite 
applicable. 
Many  arguments  of  more  or  less  force  might  be  used  in  favor 
of  such  a  change,  but  as  they  will  naturally  occur  to  those  who 
give  attention  and  thought  to  the  subject,  it  appears  unnecessary 
to  detail  them. 
The  strongest  objections  to  the  proposed  change  that  the 
writer  has  been  able  to  raise,  are,  first  that  it  is  a  change  from 
an  already  established  course,  and  a  somewhat  radical  change  in- 
volving much  labor  in  remodelling  the  formulae,  and  that  the  suf- 
ficiency of  the  reasons  for  making  a  change  may  be  doubted  by 
some.  Secondly,  that  it  involves  the  necessity  of  weighing  all 
liquids,  including  menstruse,  and  thus  introduces  a  complication 
of  taking  the  tare  of  vessels.  In  view  of  the  great  degree  of 
uncertainty,  in  measuring  such  materials  as  acids,  however,  this 
inconvenience  would  be  warranted,  whilst  that  of  operating 
with  tared  vessels  is  more  apparent  than  real  in  practice,  since 
no  one  who  may  have  applied  it  in  making  syrups,  solutions,  &c, 
will  doubt  the  advantage  in  point  of  accuracy  and  uniformity 
of  results. 
There  is  nothing  very  new  in  such  a  system,  since,  in  four 
European  Pharmacopoeias  now  in  the  writer's  possession,  meas- 
ures of  capacity  are  not  used ;  and  the  method  of  taking  parts 
by  weight,  though  less  common,  is  occasionally  met  with  in 
authoritative  works.  Wherever  noticed  it  always  brings  to  the 
writer's  mind  the  significance  of  a  simple  and  universally  ap- 
plicable mode  of  expression. 
These  suggestions  are  published  with  diffidence,  and  as  sug- 
gestions only.    They  are  not  advocated  or  urged  with  any  de- 
