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DENTAL MEDICINE. —
28
The centigram, which is a very convenient unit to refer to in
medicine and pharmacy, is used in books and in speaking, but
not in writing prescriptions.
All other terms, and units, and prefixes used in the metric
system, may be wholly ignored by the physician and the phar-
macist. *
The use of a decimal line prevents possible errors.
To write a prescription for fifteen doses of any medicine, write
it first for one dose in grains and minims^ and then substitute the
same number of "grams " and " cube-cents," thus :
R- Opii gr. j
Camphorse gr- U
Make one pill. <
and to get fifteen such doses in metric terms, write —
K;. Opii I Gm.
Camphorse 2 Gm.
Make fifteen pills.
The gram and the cubic centimeter (^fiuigrani)^ when referring
to liquids, may be considered as equal quantities, except the
liquids be very heavy (as in the case of chloroform), or very
light (as in the case of ether).
Measures may be discarded and weights exclusively employed,
if preferred. All quantities in a prescription would then be ex-
pressed in GRAMS, f
* The prefixes are simply numerals, as follows :
myria, which means 10,000. deci, which means o.i.
kilo, " " 1,000. centi, '" " 0.0 1.
Aecfo, " " 100. milli, " " 0.00 1.
" "
{/eka, 10.
and are quite unnecessary in the writing of prescriptions (if not in all cases),
English numerals being more convenient, and at least equally explicit.
EXAMPLE OF A METRIC PRESCRIPTION.
R . Hydrarg. chloridi. corros o 25 Gm.
Potassi iodidi ^ 10 00 Gm.
Aquae 100 00 C.C.
Tinct. cinch, comp 100 00 C.C.
'
Mix.
t As any liquid medicine must necessarily be administered to the patient in
measured, and not in weighed, doses, it will, of course, be more convenient to the
DENTAL MEDICINE. —
28
The centigram, which is a very convenient unit to refer to in
medicine and pharmacy, is used in books and in speaking, but
not in writing prescriptions.
All other terms, and units, and prefixes used in the metric
system, may be wholly ignored by the physician and the phar-
macist. *
The use of a decimal line prevents possible errors.
To write a prescription for fifteen doses of any medicine, write
it first for one dose in grains and minims^ and then substitute the
same number of "grams " and " cube-cents," thus :
R- Opii gr. j
Camphorse gr- U
Make one pill. <
and to get fifteen such doses in metric terms, write —
K;. Opii I Gm.
Camphorse 2 Gm.
Make fifteen pills.
The gram and the cubic centimeter (^fiuigrani)^ when referring
to liquids, may be considered as equal quantities, except the
liquids be very heavy (as in the case of chloroform), or very
light (as in the case of ether).
Measures may be discarded and weights exclusively employed,
if preferred. All quantities in a prescription would then be ex-
pressed in GRAMS, f
* The prefixes are simply numerals, as follows :
myria, which means 10,000. deci, which means o.i.
kilo, " " 1,000. centi, '" " 0.0 1.
Aecfo, " " 100. milli, " " 0.00 1.
" "
{/eka, 10.
and are quite unnecessary in the writing of prescriptions (if not in all cases),
English numerals being more convenient, and at least equally explicit.
EXAMPLE OF A METRIC PRESCRIPTION.
R . Hydrarg. chloridi. corros o 25 Gm.
Potassi iodidi ^ 10 00 Gm.
Aquae 100 00 C.C.
Tinct. cinch, comp 100 00 C.C.
'
Mix.
t As any liquid medicine must necessarily be administered to the patient in
measured, and not in weighed, doses, it will, of course, be more convenient to the
