^SSffi^iffi?-}  Capacity  of  Spoons.  593 
isfactory,  as  each  succeeding  lot  of  tumblers  varied  considerably 
from  the  supposed  capacity.  To  overcome  any  possible  chance  of 
variation,  the  manufacturers  now  engrave  the  lines  on  the  outside 
of  the  tumblers  after  annealing  the  glass. 
With  us  in  hospital  practice  the  terms  tea  and  tablespoons  are 
gradually  becoming  obsolete,  and  doses  of  liquid  medicines  are 
usually  referred  to  as  being  5,  10  or  15  c.c,  always  using  the  abbre- 
viations for  cubic  centimetres. 
The  obvious  advantage  to  be  derived  from  the  use  of  decimal 
figures  will  appeal  to  any  one  who  is  not  an  expert  mathematician, 
or  a  lightning  calculator.  By  giving  10,  20  or  30  doses  of  either 
5,  10  or  15  c.c,  the  required  multiplication  is  rapidly  and  readily 
accomplished  with  little  possibility  of  error.  In  addition  to  this,  by 
confining  himself  to  full  decimal  quantities,  the  physician  never  has 
any  difficulty  in  either  estimating  the  number  of  doses  in  a  bottle 
of  given  capacity,  or  in  making  up  the  number  of  doses  he  wishes 
to  prescribe. 
In  conclusion,  the  writer  would  like  to  say  that,  if  any  physician 
or  pharmacist  will  get  into  the  habit  of  thinking  quantities  in  deci- 
mals, he  will  never  have  occasion  to  question  the  superiority  and 
advantage  of  the  metric  system  over  the  heterogeneous  and  com- 
plicated systems  of  weights  and  measures  now  used  in  this  country. 
THE    CAPACITY    OF    SPOONS    FOR  ADMINISTERING 
MEDICINES. 
By  C.  B.  Lowe. 
My  attention  being  directed  to  the  capacity  of  the  spoons  in 
common  use  I  have  made  some  investigations  of  the  matter.  Rem- 
ington's "  Pharmacy  "  gives  their  capacity  as  follows,  viz.,  "Teaspoon- 
ful  =  f5i,  dessertspoonful  =  f5ii,tablespoonful  =  f5iv,"  but  afterwards 
states :  "  In  almost  all  cases  the  modern  teacups,  tablespoons, 
dessertspoons  and  teaspoons,  after  careful  tests  made  by  the  author, 
were  found  to  average  25  per  cent,  greater  capacity  than  the  theo- 
retical quantities  given."  White  and  Wilcox's  "  Materia  Medica  " 
gives  the  following  list,  viz.,  "  A  teaspoonful  is  about  a  fluid  drachm 
(4  c.c.) ;  usually  it  is  a  little  more,  viz.,  nearly  5  c.c  A  dessert- 
spoonful is  about  two  fluid  drachms  (8  c.c).   A  tablespoonful  is  about 
