Definition:Apothecaries' Weights and Measures/Volume
Definition
The apothecaries' system is an imperial systems of measurement of volume.
Its units are defined as follows:
Minim
The minim is an apothecaries' unit of volume.
| \(\ds \) | \(\) | \(\ds 1\) | minim | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds 59 \cdotp 19388 \, 02083\) | microlitres | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds \dfrac 1 {60}\) | fluid drachm |
Fluid Drachm
The fluid drachm is an apothecaries' unit of volume.
| \(\ds \) | \(\) | \(\ds 1\) | fluid drachm | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds 60\) | minims | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds 3 \cdotp 55163 \, 28125\) | millilitres |
Fluid Ounce
The fluid ounce is an imperial unit of volume.
It is also part of the apothecaries' system of volume.
| \(\ds \) | \(\) | \(\ds 1\) | fluid ounce | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds 8\) | fluid drachms | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds \dfrac 1 {20}\) | (imperial) pint | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds 28 \cdotp 41306 \, 25\) | millilitres |
Pint
The pint is an imperial unit of volume.
It is also part of the apothecaries' system of volume.
| \(\ds \) | \(\) | \(\ds 1\) | pint (imperial) | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds 20\) | fluid ounces | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds 2\) | chopins | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds \dfrac 1 8\) | gallon (imperial) | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds 0 \cdotp 5682 \, 6125\) | litres | |||||||||||
| \(\ds \) | \(=\) | \(\ds 568 \cdotp 26125\) | millilitres |
Also see
Linguistic Note
An apothecary is a medical professional who specialises in formulating and dispensing materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients.
The modern counterpart is pharmacist (also referred to as a (dispensing) chemist in British English).
However, in some languages and regions the word apothecary can still be found referring to a retail pharmacy or a pharmacist who owns one.
Thus the apothecaries' system of weights and measures focuses largely on small weights and volumes, where the materials being exchanged were renowned for being dispensed in tiny amounts.
The word apothecary derives from the Ancient Greek word ἀποθήκη (apothḗkē), meaning repository or storehouse.
The word migrated via the Latin apotheca, also meaning repository, storehouse or warehouse, to the Medieval Latin apothecarius, meaning storekeeper, and eventually to the Old French apotecaire.
Sources
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): apothecaries' system: 2.
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): apothecaries' system: 2.