I said the apothecary ounce was divided into 8 drams BUT the avoirdupois ounce is divided into 16 drams. Two units using the same word, but more than 2:1 different when specified in grams, or even grains
________________________________ From: Paul Trusten <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Cc: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, July 9, 2013 3:05 PM Subject: [USMA:53048] Re: Why We Should Switch To A Base-12 Counting System John, 8 drams to the apoth. oz., not 16. Paul Trusten, Registered Pharmacist Vice President and Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, Inc. http://www.metric.org/ [email protected] On Jul 9, 2013, at 13:29, "John M. Steele" <[email protected]> wrote: And apothecaries were not very serious about counting by 12's, there may be 12 oz in a troy or apothecary pound, but the ounce was divided into 8 drams, and the dram into 3 scruples, while gold merchants divided the troy ounce differently, into pennyweights and grains. Just to confuse everyone, the av. oz. was divided into 16 drams instead. > >Apothecaries had their own liquid measure too, with fluid ounces divided into >8 drams, each dram being 60 minims. > >The only evidence of twelve counting in Imperial Customary is the inch/foot >relationship and ounces in the troy pound. Generally, it is indicative of >completely arbitrary, unrelated, nonsensical factors, and the same words used >repeatedly to mean different things. A perfect model for success if the goal >is to baffle and overcharge the customer. > > > >________________________________ > From: Paul Trusten <[email protected]> >To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> >Cc: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> >Sent: Tuesday, July 9, 2013 12:38 PM >Subject: [USMA:53046] Re: Why We Should Switch To A Base-12 Counting System > > >Past tense, Mr. Dvorsky---pharmacists USED the 12-ounce (apothecary) pound. >In my 37 years of practice, I have NEVER used it. Except where they have to >intersect with the pre-metric world (those blasted pint stock bottles from >outside the Rx-Only realm), pharmacy calculations employ ONLY metric units. > >Yeah, right---don't like decimal measurement? WHY, change the numeration >system, of course! I'd like to see the attitude of your average dozenal >supporter toward metric. I notice that the two dozenal societies are based in >the U.S. and Britain. Find me one in France. > >Just FYI: avoirdupois pound = 16 ounces of 437.5 grains each > apothecary pound = 12 ounces of 480 grains each > >Somebody back there liked ONE standard unit--the grain, common to both >avoirdupois and apothecary. It's the same grain. 1 gr. ~= 65 mg > >Paul Trusten, Registered Pharmacist >Vice President and Public Relations Director >U.S. Metric Association, Inc. >http://www.metric.org/ >[email protected] > > >On Jul 8, 2013, at 19:41, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: > >> FYI- >> >> http://io9.com/5977095/why-we-should-switch-to-a-base+12-counting-system >> >> >> Sent from my iPad >> >> > > > >
