Of course one should also remember that in earlier years, the French units of length were 12 lignes = 1 pouce, 12 pouce = 1 pied, 6 pied = toise. The specification given to the manufacturers of the “Mètre des Archives” in 1798 was to construct a bar that was 3 pieds, 0 pouce, 11.296 lignes in length. That bar was the first definitive metre.
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Remek Kocz Sent: 24 June 2014 19:29 To: U.S. Metric Association Cc: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:54036] Re: "Sonometer" and French units Thought I'd throw something more interesting amids this nonsensical discussion about spelling. French units indeed originate in France, and their definition is sometimes mistakenly stated as 1 Fr = 1mm/pi rather than 1 Fr = 1mm/3. On Mon, Jun 23, 2014 at 11:02 PM, James <[email protected]> wrote: Thanks for posting that, Remek! I encountered "French" units in my brief EMT training and experience, but never knew a conversion factor from those to real units. Jim -- James R. Frysinger 632 Stoney Point Mountain Road Doyle TN 38559-3030 (C) 931.212.0267 (H) 931.657.3107 (F) 931.657.3108 On 2014-06-23 19:51, Remek Kocz wrote: Some of you here might find this mildly amusing, but most will probably groan. I know I do. In medicine, some doctors like to pronounce the word centimeter as "sont-o-meter" or "sonometer" if spoken quickly. Why? Probably because it sounds French and it gives an impression of using a specialized or esoteric unit unique to the field. Informally, I noticed that the trend towards this pronunciation is among the specialties that use centimeters the least. Internal medicine docs tend to say it that way, while surgeons or obstetricians who use centimeters daily, usually say things correctly. Speaking of things French: A curiosity in terms of medical measurement is the existence of "French" units. They are exactly 1/3 mm and are used to represent diameters of various catheters (intravenous, bladder) and tubes. Usually abbreviated "Fr" or sometimes "F." So something that's 3 Fr, is 1 mm in diameter.
