Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
Feb.,  1877.  / 
Editorial. 
91 
vert  the  grains  and  ounces  into  grams,  and  indicate  these  values  upon  the  prescription, 
so  that,  upon  repetition,  it  could  always  be  compounded  alike.  It  seems  to  us  that 
by  a  concerted  action  between  the  national  medical  and  pharmaceutical  associations 
a  similar  arrangement  might  be  made,  and,  after  agreeing  upon  a  table  of  values,, 
from  a  certain  fixed  date,  apothecaries  might  be  required  to  dispense  all  prescription,'* 
by  the  metric  weight  only,  without  regard  to  the  values  indicated  in  the  prescrip- 
tion. By  following  such  a  course  the  older  physicians  would  gradually  accustom 
themselves  to  the  change,  and,  after  a  while,  prescribe  as  readily  by  metric  weights 
alone  as  they  now  use  troy  weights  and  wine  measure.  At  the  present  time,  and 
more  particularly  since  the  publication  of  the  German  "  Pharmacopoeia,"  in  1872,, 
we  have  been  informed  that  physicians,  in  Germany,  may  be  said  to  prescribe  solely 
in  the  metric  system,  the  younger  members  of  the  medical  profession  having  been 
educated  in  it,  and  those  previously  in  practice  having  gradually  acquired  the 
knowledge  and  habit  of  prescribing  by  grams. 
The  table,  as  promulgated  in  Prussia,  is  not  applicable  to  the  weights  used  in 
this  country,  since  the  apothecaries1  pound  in  that  country  equalled  only  350*761 
grams,  while  the  troy  pound  weighs  373-202  grams,  or,  in  other  words,  one  troy 
ounce  is  equal  to  510*68  (instead  of  480)  Prussian  grains.  In  the  few  extracts 
which  we  give  from  this  table  our  main  object  is  to  show  that  the  rounding  off  of 
the  values,  by  conversion  into  another  system  of  weights,  has  not  been  considered 
to  be  productive  of  such  serious  results  as  has  been  suggested  probable  in  this, 
country,  by  the  adoption  of  a  similar  course. 
The  fractions  of  a  grain  and  its  multiples,  up  to  15  grains,  were  calculated  by 
taking  the  weight  of  the  grain  to  be  =  *o6  grams,  except  that  the  following  weights- 
were  rounded  off  as  indicated  gr.  viii==*5  j  gr.  ix=*55,  and  grs.  xiv=,85,  ^  tne 
higher  values  we  select  the  following  : 
Gr.  xvi=i*o;  ^i=i*25  5  5SS=2'°  >  9"— 2'5  5  gr-  xlviii=3'oj  9"ss=3'12  > 
3i=375  5  gr-  lxxii— 4'5  3  3iss=5*57-  ^=6*25  ;  3iiss=9*5  ;  5iii=ii*o,  etc.,  the 
remaining  values  being  estimated,  as  nearly  as  convenient,  by  taking  the  value  of 
the  scruple  and  drachm  as  stated,  the  ounce  and  its  multiples  being  valued  at  the 
rate  of  30  grams. 
If  it  is  remembered  that  the  weight  of  a  fluidounce  of  water  of  apothecaries* 
measure,  at  150  C,  very  nearly  equals  (within  3*5  grains)  one  ounce  of  apothe- 
caries1 weight,  as  formerly  used  in  Prussia,  it  will  be  evident  that  the  Prussian 
weights,  as  indicated  in  the  official  table  referred  to  above,  will  be  almost  fsfae 
absolute  equivalents  for  the  corresponding  measures  of  water,  as  employed  in  the 
United  States,  and  upon  this  basis  we  have  calculated  the  following  table,  giving  all 
values  in  the  approximate  gram  values.  The  table,  it  may  be  premised,  follows  that 
given  by  our  "  Pharmacopoeia,"  and  for  the  liquids  three  standards  have  been  taken? 
namely,  waters,  fluid  extracts  and  tinctures  prepared  with  diluted  alcohol,  all  having 
approximately  the  density  of  water  -  liquids  lighter  than  water,  spec.  gr.  -85  to  '95 
and  including  the  spirits,  tinctures  made  with  alcohol,  fixed  and  volatile  oils  }  and 
Squids  heavier  than  water,  spec.  gr.  1*25  to  1*32,  including  glycerin  and  the  syrups 
The  few  liquids,  like  ether  and  chloroform,  varying  to  some  extent  from  the  densi  - 
ties here  given,  are  so  rarely  prescribed  as  an  addition  to  mixtures  that  it  is  believed 
that  the  table  here  given  will,  practically,  in  all  cases  serve  the  purpose  as  a 
