Pharmacist weight

The European pharmacist weights or medicinal weights were mass units determined by the authorities. Conceivable since the 13th century, they were replaced in the German area in 1872 by the gram weight.

history

Two related systems dominated Europe:

• Continental Europe : the Nuremberg pharmacist pound
• in the British Isles : the British pharmacist's pound

Both are in a ratio of 24:25.

The abolition of pharmacist weights began at the end of the 18th century. France introduced the metric system under the reign of terror on August 1, 1793. Germany followed in steps, until the introduction of the metric system in 1872 at the latest. In Great Britain the pharmacist weights were legal until 1971, in the United States they are still valid today.

The dimensional chain of medical weight in many regions of Europe was:

• 1 pound (pharmacist weight) = 12 ounces = 96 drachmas = 288 scruples = 5760 grains
• 1 pound ≈ 3/4 trading pound

Comparative values

• 1 livre (France) = 10184.62 As (Dutch)
• 1 pharmacist weight (Hanover, Mecklenburg, Saxony, Prussia) = 7298.3684 As (Dutch)
• 1 pharmacist weight (Netherlands) = 7802.22 As (Dutch)
• 1 pharmacist weight (Viennese) = 8739.17 As (Dutch)
• 1 pharmacist weight (Württemberg) = 7441.17 As (Dutch)
• 1 pharmacist weight (Bavaria) = 7490.13 As (Dutch)
• 1 pharmacist's weight / troyp fund (England) = 7765.6 As (Dutch)

If you put 1 pharmacist's weight (German) at 500 grams, then this corresponds

• 1.388889 pharmacist weight (Bavarian) = 1 pharmacist weight (German)
• 1.333333 pharmacist weight (Belgian, Dutch) = 1 pharmacist weight (German)
• 1.425382 pharmacist weight (Prussian) = 1 pharmacist weight (German)
• 1.190451 pharmacist weight (Viennese) = 1 pharmacist weight (German)

The Nuremberg apothecary weights

The Nuremberg medical weight in the city of Nuremberg before 1811 was 357.8 grams and fluctuated around this range in other countries.

It was in legal use in 1831 in the following states:

• German states: Anhalt-Bernburg , Braunschweig , Bremen , Frankfurt , Hamburg , Hanover , Hesse , Saxony-Hildburghausen , Lippe-Detmold , Nassau , Oldenburg , Prussia (different from 1816), Reuss older line , Reuss younger line , Saxony , Saxony- Gotha-Altenburg , Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt , Waldeck and Württemberg
• other countries: large parts of Switzerland , Denmark , Norway , Poland and Russia

Pharmacist weights. Top row: Chip box, sales packaging by the Nuremberg weight maker Andreas Bankel (after 1825). Bottom row: Weights for 2 scruples, 1½ scruples, 1 scruple, 4 drachms, 2 drachms, ½ drachms. Focke Museum Bremen

Examples of handwritten or engraved information on pharmacist weights: ii = 2 ounces, s = semi = 1/2 drachma, i = 1 scruple (source: Nürnberger Apothekergewichte around 1830)

The Nuremberg Apotheker gran is defined as follows: 19600 Nürnberger Grän - equal to 980 Nuremberg scruples - weigh exactly three Karl pounds .

Long before that - since 1834 the Zollverein bung was considered to be exactly 500 grams as a commercial weight - the units of measurement were first redefined so that they were given "smooth" values ​​on the metric scale. The Kingdom of Bavaria took on a pioneering role under the leadership of Montgela . The resolutions to standardize weight and measure in Bavaria (1809–1811) stipulated that the Bavarian trade pound should weigh exactly 560 grams and the Nuremberg pharmacist pound exactly 360 French decimal grams (the city of Nuremberg itself fell to Bavaria in September 1806 ). The historical value is 0.1334% smaller than the 7-smooth value. The reform value of 1811 is 0.4694% greater than the 7-smooth value and 0.6036% greater than the historical one.

In the course of the 19th century, the other German states - including Austria - adopted this value. Prussia, on the other hand, defined the medicinal pound in an ordinance of May 16, 1816 as 350 grams.

With the North German Order of Measures and Weight of 1868, which came into force throughout Germany in 1872, separate medical weights were abolished.

Materially preserved pharmacist weights from the 19th century are mostly in the form of small square truncated pyramids made of brass with punched designations, unmarked four, three and double eyelets stamped from thick sheet metal (see illustrations), or small square sheets made of thin sheet metal with embossed marks and one Upstand as a handle (the number sign is often behind the symbol of the unit of measurement). The most important place of manufacture was Nuremberg.

The Viennese apothecary weights

In the Austrian crown lands , the Viennese medical pound applied. This did not agree with the Nuremberg one, but was heavier, and one pound was equivalent to 420.0450 grams. The division was 1 lb = 12  ounces = 24  loth = 96 quintlets or drachms = 288  scruples = 5760  grains (or 1: 12: 2: 4: 3: 20).

• 1 pound = 420 grams (Ordinance of April 11, 1761)

The British pharmacist weights

England, including the colonies and North America, known as Medizinalgewicht the pound Troy, most recently defined by Regulation of 17 June 1824. The ratio of British pharmacist pound - that the Troypfunds - for Karl pounds is exactly 45: 49, that the Nuremberg Medizinalpfund 25: 24. The 7-smooth values ​​correspond to a grain of exactly 64.8 mg. The official weights from 1958 and up to their abolition in 1971 were 0.0017% smaller than the 7-smooth values.

• 1 medicinal pound (troy weight) = 373 grams
• 1 trading pound (Avoirdupois) = 453 grams

Comparison between the Nuremberg and British systems

Pharmacist weights

	conversion					Nuremberg pharmacist weights in grams			British pharmacist weights in grams
unit	Pound pound (lb.)	Ounce ounze (oz.)	Drachma dram (dr.)	Scruple scruple (scr.)	Gran grain (large)	7-smooth value	historical	Reform value	7-smooth value	official (1958)
lb	0.001	0.012	0.096	0.288	5,760	358,318 08	357.84	360	373.248	373.241 721 6
ounce	0.001/12	0.001	0.008th	0.024	0.480	029,859 84	029.82	030th	031.104	031.103 476 8
Drachm ( ounce )	0.001/96	0.001/8	0.001	0.003	0.060	003.732 48	003.727 5	003.75	003.888	003.887 934 6
Scruples	0.001/288	0.001 / 24th	0.001/3	0.001	0.020th	001.244 16	001.242 5	001.25	001.296	001.295 978 2 Text in italics
Gran	0.001/5760	0.001/480	0.001/60	0.001/20	0.001	000.062 208	000.062 125	000.062 5	000.064 8	000.064 798 91

The French pharmacist weight.

The old French pharmacist or medicinal weight was identical to the Paris Troy weight. It was divided as follows: 1 pound (Libra medica) was 16 ounces, 1 ounce was 8 drachms, 1 drachm had 3 scruples of 24 grains each. The Paris Medicinal Pound hereafter 9216 Paris Grän or 10184.62 Dutch As. This corresponded to a weight of 489.50585 French grams according to the new French measures and weights of December 19, 1799.

In adapting the weights to the new French weight system, the weight of the medicinal pound was set at 500 French grams. The pound was divided as follows: 1 pound has 16 ounces, 1 ounce has 8 drachmas, 1 drachm has 72 grän. Consequently the pound was also 9216 grän. After scruples, no more calculations were made.

In France the bill according to ounces and granules was abolished by law in 1840 and only the normal commercial weight (gram weight) was allowed.

Italy

• Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
  • 1 ounce = 10 drachms (previously 8 drachms)
  • 1 pound = 320 grams
• Kingdom of Naples 1 aureo = 11.1386 grams
• Papal States , Grand Duchy of Tuscany 1 pound medicinal weight = 339 grams (heaviest medicinal weight)
• Duchy of Parma , Kingdom of Sardinia 1 pound medicinal weight varies in the individual provinces of these states
• Venice 1 pound medical weight = 301 grams

source

Spain

In Spain the Castilian mark was used as a pharmacist's weight .

• 1 Castilian Mark = 8 Ongas = 64 Drachmas = 192 Escrupulos = 384 Obolos = 1152 Caracteres = 4608 Gran
  • 1 scrupel = 2 obolos = 24 grains instead of 26 grains
  • 1 obolo = 3 caracteres / siliquas
  • 1 siliquas = 4 grains
  • 1 pound (1½ Castilian mark) = 345 grams
  • 1 drachma = 72 grains

other countries

• Kingdom of the Netherlands 1 pound medical weight = 375 grams (introduced January 1, 1820)
• Portugal 1 medicinal pound = 344 grams
• Sweden 1 medicinal pound = 356 grams
• Kingdom of Poland 1 pound = 358 grams to the Nuremberg (exactly 357853 milligrams)

source

See also

Scruples

literature

• Ludwig Winkler: The pharmacist weight. In: Pharmaceutical Monthly Bulletins. Volume 5, 1924, ISSN  0369-9609 , pp. 112-116.
• Brockhaus Encyclopedia : Small Conversation Lexicon. 5th edition. Volume 1. Leipzig 1911, p. 83.

Web links

• Pre-metric weights , the historical pharmacy

Individual evidence

1. ^ Association of practical merchants: The latest illustrated trade and goods lexicon or encyclopedia of all trade sciences for merchants and manufacturers. Volume 1, Ernst Schäfer, Leipzig 1857, p. 92.
2. ^ Johann Friedrich Hausschild: Proposal for a general German system of measures, weights and coins. Johann Philipp Streng, Frankfurt / Main 1849, p. 35.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} L. Geiger, Justus Liebig: Magazine for pharmacy and the sciences involved. Müllerischen Hofbuchhandlung, Heidelberg 1831, p. 269.
4. ↑ Carl Ludwig Wilhelm Aldefeld: The dimensions and weights of the German Customs Association States. Publishing house of the JG Cotta'schen Buchhandlung. Stuttgart and Tübingen 1838, p. 62
5. ↑ A. Zurek: Elementary handbook of pharmacy. Verlag von Ferdinands Rake, Erlangen 1851, p. 97