be found most important to emigrants, attendants upon the
sick, and persons who reside out of the reach of medical aid, sailors,
&c., &c. They contain instructions not only for the compounding of
medicines, but most useful hints and cautions upon the application of
leeches, blisters, poultices, &c._

660. Articles Required for Mixing Medicines.

_Three glass measures_, one to measure ounces, another to measure
drachms, and a measure for minims, drops, or small doses.

A _pestle and mortar_, both of glass and Wedgwood-ware.

A glass funnel.

Glass stirring rods.

A _spatula_, or flexible knife, for spreading ointments, making pills,
&c.

_A set of scales and weights_.

_A small slab of marble_, or porcelain, for making pills upon, mixing
ointments, &c.

661. Medicine Weights and Measures.--_Weights_.

When you open your box containing the scales and weights, you will
observe that there are several square pieces of brass, of different
sizes and thicknesses, and stamped with a variety of characters. These
are the weights, which may now be explained.

662. Troy Weight.

Medicines are made up by troy weight, although drugs are bought by
avoirdupois weight. There are twelve ounces to the pound troy, which
is marked lb.; the ounce, which contains eight drachms, is marked
[*ounce]i. [looks like a z on top of a 3]; the drachm, containing
three scruples, is marked [*drachm]i. [looks like a 3]; and the
scruple of twenty grains is marked [*scruple]i. [looks like a
backwards C with a horizontal cross-bar]. The grain weights are marked
by little circles, thus:

-------
|o o|
Five | o | Grains
|o o|
-------

Each of the grain weights, in addition to the circles denoting their
several weights, bears also the stamp of a crown. Care must be taken
not to mistake this for one of the numerals. Besides these weights
there are others marked [*scruple]ss, which means half a scruple;
[*drachm]ss, meaning half a drachm; and [*ounce]ss, meaning half an
ounce. When there are ounces, drachms, or scruples, the number of them
is shown by Roman figures, thus:--i. ii. iii. iv. v., &c., and
prescriptions are written in this style.

663. Measures.--Liquid

Liquid medicines are always measured by the following table:

60 minims......... \ / 1 fluid drachm.
8 flu