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EDITORIAL. 
name  of  a  single  division  of  weight ;  and  only  their  value  to  the  extent 
of  about  nine  per  cent,  less  than  that  of  the  pj-esent  Apothecaries  weight. 
The  change  to  a  less  value  is  on  the  side  most  favorable  to  their  adoption, 
by  a  certain  class  of  dispensers,  who  designedly  use  the  avoirdupois  ounce, 
because  it  is  less,  and  who  are  not  few  in  number.  The  medical  profes- 
sion have  of  latter  years  shown  a  tendency  to  decrease  doses ;  and  it  is 
believed  that  they  could  substitute  the  new  weights  in  practice  without  any 
inconvenience  to  themselves  or  their  patients,  even  if  no  allowance  be  made 
for  the  difference,  but  it  would  soon  be  seen  that  the  eejuilibrium  would  be 
regained.  If  10  troy  grains  of  Calomel  are  necessary  to  effect  a  given 
purpose,  11  of  the  avoirdupois  grains  could  be  used  as  practically  equiva- 
lent, and  so  of  other  quantities.  The  language  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  need 
not  be  changed  in  a  single  process,  except  ^n  regard  to  the  word  pound, 
which  if  retained  would  signify  7000  troy  grains  instead  of  5760  as  at  pre- 
sent. Now  as  this  present  word  pound  in  reference  to  the  Apothecaries 
weight  is  often  the  cause  of  great  errors  in  compounding,  its  use  for  the 
next  ten  years  might  be  dispensed  with,  expressing  all  large  quantities  in 
ounces. 
We  now  come  to  the  main  argument  which  has  been  used  against  this 
innovation,  viz.,  the  abandonment  of  the  Troy  grain,  upon  which  rests 
both  of  the  present  systems  of  weight. 
In  reply  to  this,  we  will  urge  that  it  is  not  proposed  to  change  the  Troy 
grain,  which  is  really  no  part  of  the  avoirdupois  system,  but  only  to  create 
a  new  grain  which  will  bear  a  certain  fixed  relation  to  the  Troy  grain,  and 
which  there  is  just  as  much  propriety  in  its  possessing,  as  in  its  having 
a  peculiar  drachm  or  ounce.  In  fact^  the  argument  against  it  applies 
with  equal  force  to  the  centigramme  of  the  Decimal  system,  which  finds 
many  advocates,  and  which  is  far  less  approximative  in  character  to  the 
Troy  weight.  It  will  be  asked  how  will  it  work  in  practice  ?  how  do  you 
propose  to  effect  the  practical  introduction  of  the  new  grain  ?  In  reply, 
we  say  as  follows.  Down  to  the  eighth  of  an  avoirdupois  ounce  we  are 
already  provided.  Let  our  Colleges  of  Pharmacy  make  arrangements  with 
any  manufacturer  of  weights  to  provide  the  new  weight  from  the  drachm 
down  to  the  grain,  and  its  fractions  if  needed,  and  supply  them  at  cost  to 
all  applicants.  Every  apothecary  would  desire  to  retain  a  set  of  small 
troy  weight  for  use  in  the  old  formulae,  and  the  small  cost  of  the  minor 
new  weights  would  be  so  trifling  that  none  could  object.  These  views 
were  advocated  in  the  Pharmacopoeia  Convention  at  Washington^  and  at 
the  New  York  meeting  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Association;  and  ten  years 
ago,  whilst  serving  upon  the  Committee  of  Revision  of  1850,  we  expressed 
an  opinion  favorable  to  the  Dublin  weights  as  preferable  to  the  retention 
of  two  systems  in  practice.  The  subject  has  been  revived  by  the  reception 
of  a  letter  from  Dr.  Charles  Wilson,  of  Edinburgh,  manifesting  much  inte- 
rest in  regard  to  the  adoption  of  the  new  weights  in  our  Pharmacopoeia^  as 
