Weights and Measures

Abstract

Matters have not been made simpler for either the doctor or nurse by the fact that two systems of measure are currently used in dosage. The older system, the apothecary system, is used only in this country and Great Britain. It is the system of grains and minims, of drams and ounces. Its only virtue is that it is well known in these parts. It is cumbersome and difficult to handle when precise measurmeent of dosage is required. It remains with us only because it is well known and because it is so difficult to change habits, either personal or national, once they are well established. The older physicians, especially, who were taught only the apothecary system in medical school, resist all attempts to change over into a better system. Nurses who were trained years ago also have great difficulty in making the shift. The nurse, however, is in an entirely different position from the doctor, for he can choose what he wants to use, while the nurse must operate in the system of measurement the doctor decides to use. Although the apothecary system is slowly being discarded, she must learn all about it and know how to handle it with facility. The British imperial measure involves only minor differences in the larger quantities.