Weights And Measures
Description
This section is from the book "Materia Medica: Pharmacology: Therapeutics Prescription Writing For Students and Practitioners", by Walter A. Bastedo. Also available from Amazon: Materia Medica: Pharmacology: Therapeutics: Prescription Writing for Students and Practitioners.
Weights And Measures
In the metric system the liter is a unit of capacity equivalent to the volume occupied by the mass of 1 kilogram of pure water at its maximum density. It is equivalent in volume to 1.000027 cubic decimeter. Under this definition a milliliter (0.001 of a liter) is different from a cubic centimeter by a very minute fraction. However, as cubic centimeter is the term used throughout medical literature we shall use it in this book, though both the U. S. and British Pharmacopoeias have adopted the term milliliter (mil) in its place.
A. Metric
Weight | Written | Approximate Equivalent | ||
1 | milligram (mg.)........................... | 0.001 | 1/65 | grain |
10 | milligrams = 1 centigram (cg.)............... | 0.01 | 1/6 | grain |
10 | centigrams = 1 centigram (cg) ........................................ | 0.1 | 1 1/2 | grains |
10 | decigrams = 1 gram (gm.)................... | 1.0 | 15 | grains |
1000 | grams = 1 kilogram (kilo.).................. | 1000.0 | 2 1/5 | pounds |
Volume
1 | milliliter (mil.) .................................................................. | 1.0 | 15 | minims |
1 | cubic centimeter (c.c.) ...................................................... (1 c.c. of water weighs 1 gm.) | 1.0 | 15 | minims |
1000 | cubic centimeters = 1 liter (L.)............... | 1000.0 | 34 | fluidounces |
Length
1 | millimeter (mm.) ................................................................................ | 1/25 | inch |
10 | millimeters = 1 centimeter (cm.)........................ | 2/5 | inch |
10 | centimeters = 1 decimeter (dm.) ............................................................ | 4 | inches |
10 | decimeters = 1 meter (M.)........................... | 40 | inches |
B. Apothecaries
Weight {Troy Weight) | Approximate Equivalent | ||
1 | grain (gr.).......................................... | 0.065 | gm. |
10 | grains .................................................................................................. | 0.7 | gm. |
20 | grains = 1 scruple (Э) ........................................................................ | 1.3 | gm. |
3 | scruples = 1 dram (3) ...................................................................... | 4.0 | gm. |
8 | drams = 1 ounce | 30.0 | gm. |
12 | ounces = 1 pound (fb)..................................................................... | 372.O | gm. |
....................................Volume
1 | minim | 0.06 | c.c. |
60 | minims = 1 dram (3)............................... | 4.0 | c.c. |
8 | drams = 1 ounce | 30.0 | c.c |
16 | ounces = 1 pint (O) .......................................................................... | 475.0 | c.c. |
2 | pints = 1 quart (Oij) .......................................................................... | 950.0 | c.c. |
8 | pints = 1 gallon (Cong.). (1 gill = 4 fluidounces.) |
...........................................................................
...............................Length 1 inch (in.).......................................... 2.5 cm.
Noteworthy Terms
1 | ounce avoirdupois ............................................................................. | 437.5 | grains |
1 | ounce troy .......................................................................................... | 480.0 | grains |
1 | fluidounce of water (the standard of volume) .................................. | 455.7 | grains |
1 | pound avoirdupois is ...................................................................... | 7000.0 | grains |
1 | pound troy is .................................................................................. | 5760.0 | grains |
1 minim of water weighs 455.5/480 grains = 0.95 grain = 61.61 mg.
15 grains of water =16 minims; one grain of water measures
1.05 minims = 0.0648 c.c. An imperial pint is 20 ounces; a United States pint is 16 ounces.
Exact Equivalents Of Metric And Apothecaries' Weights And Measures According To The U. S. Pharmacopoeia
Volume
1 | c.c ..................................................................................................... | 16.23 | minims |
1 | liter (1000 c.c.) .................................................................................. | 33.8 | oz. |
1 | minim | 0.061 | c.c. |
1 | fluidram (3) ........................................................................................ | 3.696 | c.c. |
1 | fluidounce | 29.57 | c.c. |
1 | pint (O)........................................... | 473.18 | c.c. |
.......................................................................
.....................................Weight
1 | milligram, 0.001 (mg) ....................................................................... | 0.0154 | grain |
1 | centigram, 0.01 (eg.)................................. | 0.1543 | grain |
1 | decigram, 0.1 (dg.).................................. | 1.543 | grains |
1 | gram, 1.0 (gm.)..................................... | 15.4324 | grains |
30 | grams, 30.0......................................... | 462.9 | grains |
31 | grams............................................. | 478.4 | grains |
1 | grain (gr.).......................................... | 0.065 | gm. |
10 | grains ................................................................................................... | 0.648 | gm. |
15 | grams............................................. | 0.972 | gm. |
1 | scruple............................................. | 1.296 | gm. |
1 | dram (3).......................................... | 3.89 | gm. |
1 | ounce troy | 31.1 | gm. |
1 | ounce avoirdupois................................... | 28.35 | gm. |
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