Lexicon medicum; or medical dictionary; containing an explanation and comparative, botany, chemistry, materia medica, midwifery, pharmacy, physiology, practice of physic, surgery, and the various branches of natural philosopy, connected with medicine / Selected, arranged and compiled, from the best authors, by Robert Hooper.

  • Robert Hooper
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lexicon medicum; or medical dictionary; containing an explanation and comparative, botany, chemistry, materia medica, midwifery, pharmacy, physiology, practice of physic, surgery, and the various branches of natural philosopy, connected with medicine / Selected, arranged and compiled, from the best authors, by Robert Hooper. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    1418/1428 (page 1404)
    Troy or Apothecary Avoirdupois. ' Founds. lb. oz. qr. grains. 100 = 82 4 2 31 -250 50 = 41 2 1 15-625 30 = 24 10 3 96-875 20 = 16 7 1 28*125 10 = 8 3 2 68-749 5=4 1 3 34-375 3=2 7 1 108-125 2 = 1 10 1 35-62.5 1 = 13 0 72-500 Apothecary Avoirdupois. Weight. oz. qr. grains. 3 ‘X = 9 3 54-375 3yj, or lbss = 6 2 36-250 5 >'j = 3 1 18-125 5 'j = 2 0 85-000 5 j = 1 O 42-500 5 iv, or 3 ss = 2 2] -250 5 'j = 1 10-625 Although the quarter ounce is only 109 grains 375, it will he convenient, in adding two or more of these reductions together, to take the even 110 grains as its value. The Scotch pound trone is equal to 9600 grains Scotch Troy weight, or 527 gr. English 925: the Scotch Dutch Troy pound is equal to 7680 Scotch grains, or 7620 gr. Engl. 8: both pounds are divided into 16 ounces, the ounce Dutch equal to 476 gr. Engl. 3. Besides the regular weights, articles are sometimes quoted by the weight of seeds or kernels, as the weight of a nutmeg, or of so many black pepper-corns. In India they use the paddy weight, or that of the grains of rough rice, each of which is equal to about 2-5ths of a grain ; the gulivindum weight, or that of a jumble bead, equal to about 1 grain 5-lGths; the retti weight, equal to about 2 grains 3-16ths. Gold coins are sometimes used, as the gold fanam weight, equal to 8 grains; the star pagoda weight, equal to about 84 grains. FRENCH WEIGHTS. Before the Revolution there was only one pile of weights in common use: in endeavour¬ ing to introduce one upon philosophical prin¬ ciples, there are now no less than four. Poids dc Marc, established Charlemagne. The old French by French Weight. 1 livre, poids de marc 1 livre, poids de mcdecinc: 1 marc, or 8 ounces 4 ounces 2 ounces 1 ounce 6 gros or dragmes - \ ounce, or 4 gros - 2 gros 1 .. J ..or grains - i ... or 18 grains - 12 grains (i ... 3 ... O _ 1 grain Troy Avoirdupois. Grains, lb. oz. dr. gr. 7561-000 = 1 1 4 13125 5670-750 = 12 15 10-594 3780-500 = 8 10 7-062 1890-250 = 4 5 3-522 945-125 = 2 o 15-438 472*562 = I I 7'717 344-421 = VI 16'296 236-281 = 8 17-531 118140 = 4 8-765 59 070 = Q 4-383 29535 = i 2-192 14-767 9-843 4'922 2-461 1-640 0-820 The Revolutionists, misled by the apparent facility of a decimal scale, introduced the me¬ trical system in 1795. Metrical Weights. 1 myriogramme 1 kilogramme, or kilo 1 hectogramme 1 decagramme 1 gramme 1 decigramme 1 centigramme 1 milligramme Old Fr. Weight, lb. ox. gros. gr. 20 6 6 63-500 2 0 5 35-150 3 2 10-710 2 44-270 18-320 1-8S0 0-180 0-018 A metrical quintal is 10 myriogrammes. A millier is 1000 kilos. Avoirdupois, lb. oz. dr. gr. 22 1 o 2-450 2 3 4 22-125 3 8 2-152 5 17721 115-444 1-544 0-154 0015 The academicians complain much that the j great government departments of the navy and artillery have never adopted this weight, not considering the great expense that it would occasion to recast all the artillery and balls. The faculty of medicine at Paris, in trans¬ lating their Codex Medicamentorum, or Phar¬ macopoeia, into this new system of weights, did not esteem it necessary to use the exact re- i duction, but adopted a system of round num- j bers, and in some parts quoted both the old and i the new weights, that the preparers might use i either: thus a third system of weights was established. Round Numbers • Old French Exact Metrical of the Codex. 1 Weight. Weight. Grammes. Grammes. 2 lb. - 970 02 1000- 1 lb. - 489-51 500* i lb. - 244-75 250- 4 ounces - 122-376 128- 2 ... - 61-188 64* 1 ounce - 30-594 32- i 3 ... - 15-297 16* 2 gros - 7-6485 8- 1 ... - 3-82 4- 36 grains - I -91 2* 20 ... - 1 -062 1* 10 ... - 0-531 0-5 o - 0-1062 0-1 1 grain - 00-531 0-05 1 2 • • • - 0-0265 o-o It is not a little singular, that the medical ) faculty of Paris should, like that of London, J prefer creating a new pile of weights, to em- i ploying those which are used by all other 1 persons. In 1812, the metrical system was abandoned; h but instead of reverting to the old pound of Charlemagne, a new pound was decreed ; and thus four systems of weights are in common use, including that of the Codex. New French Metrical Weight. Avoirdupois. Weight. Grammes. lb. oz. dr. grains. 1 lb. II O *0 II 1 10 11-07 i »'• = 250* = 8 13 5-03 ^ lb., or 4 oz. = 125* = 4 6 16-18 2 oz. = 62-5 = o 3 8-09 1 oz. = 31-25 - 1 1 17-71 g oz., or 4 gro s = 15-625 = 8 22-52 2 gros = 7-812 - 4 11 -26 1 gros - = 3-906 = o 5-63 gros = 1-9021 = 1 2-81 1 grain - 0-0542 = 0-90 The franc piece of silver, with 1- 10th of copper, weighs 5 grammes. The sous of copper also weighs 5 grammes. The confusion thus introduced by continual alterations may be easily conceived. The same confusion exists even in their linear measures,