Dram (unit) explained

The dram (alternative British spelling drachm; apothecary symbol ʒ or ℨ; abbreviated dr)[1] [2] [3] is a unit of mass in the avoirdupois system, and both a unit of mass and a unit of volume in the apothecaries' system. It was originally both a coin and a weight in ancient Greece. The unit of volume is more correctly called a fluid dram, fluid drachm, fluidram or fluidrachm (abbreviated fl dr, ƒ 3, or ).[4] [5] [6]

Notes and References

  1. Encyclopedia: Simpson . John A. . John Simpson (lexicographer) . Weiner . Edmund S.C. . Edmund Weiner . . drachm, n. . 2 July 2012 . 2nd . 1989 . . Oxford, England . Spelt drachm or dram. . 978-0-19-861186-8 . 50959346. Earlier version first published in New English Dictionary, 1897.
  2. National Institute of Standards and Technology (October 2011). Butcher, Tina; Cook, Steve; Crown, Linda et al. eds. "Appendix C – General Tables of Units of Measurement" (PDF). Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices. NIST Handbook. 44 (2012 ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce, Technology Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology. ISSN 0271-4027. OCLC . Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  3. Book: Boyer, Mary Jo . Math for Nurses: A Pocket Guide to Dosage Calculation and Drug Preparation . 2 July 2012 . 7th . 2009 . . Philadelphia, PA . 978-0-7817-6335-6 . 181600928 . 108–9 . UNIT 2 Measurement Systems: The Apothecary System . https://books.google.com/books?id=FCfCGwqNt4QC&pg=PA108.
  4. Book: Royal College of Physicians of Dublin . Royal College of Physicians of Ireland . The Pharmacopœia of the King and Queen's College of Physicians in Ireland . 1850 . Hodges and Smith . Dublin . 599509441 . xlvi . Weights and Measures . 2027/mdp.39015069402942 .
  5. Web site: fluidram . Merriam-Webster online . . Springfield, MA . 44475779 . 2 July 2012 . Definition of FLUIDRAM: variant of fluid dram.
  6. Book: Donald J. Mastronarde . Introduction to Attic Greek . registration . 30 June 2012 . 19 March 1993 . University of California Press . 978-0-520-07844-4 . 222 .
  7. Book: Smith, William . William Smith (lexicographer) . Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities . 1 July 2012 . 3rd American . 1886 . Harper & Brothers . New York . 1062 .
  8. Book: Ramsay, William Wardlaw . William Ramsay (classical scholar) . An elementary manual of Roman antiquities . 1 July 2012 . 7th . 1883 . Charles Griffin and Company . London . 206 .
  9. Web site: Apothecaries Weights . 2016-09-21.
  10. Book: Judson, Lewis V. . Weights and Measures Standards of the United States: A brief history . PDF . 1 July 2012 . NBS Special Publication . 447 . March 1976 . October 1963 . U.S. Department of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards . Washington, D.C. . 610190761 . 35 . Appendix 8 . http://physics.nist.gov/Pubs/SP447/app8.pdf . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110603064530/https://www.nist.gov/pml/pubs/sp447/index.cfm . 3 June 2011 .
  11. Book: Buzzacott. Francis H.. Boyles. Denis. The Complete Sportsman's Encyclopedia. 1 July 2012. 3 August 2008. Globe Pequot. 978-1-59921-330-9. 271.
  12. Web site: The Weights and Measures Act 1985 (Metrication) (Amendment) Order 1994 . www.legislation.gov.uk.
  13. Book: United Kingdom . United Kingdom . Department of Trade and Industry . Department of Trade and Industry (United Kingdom) . The Units of Measurement Regulations 1995 . 1 July 2012 . 1995 . . London . 978-0-11-053334-6 . 33237616 . Schedule: Relevant Imperial Units, Corresponding Metric Units and Metric Equivalents.
  14. Encyclopedia: Simpson . John A. . John Simpson (lexicographer) . Weiner . Edmund S.C. . Edmund Weiner . . tea-spoon, n. . 2 July 2012 . 2nd . 1989 . . Oxford, England . 978-0-19-861186-8 . 50959346 . teaspoonful n. as much as a tea-spoon will hold; in medical prescriptions taken as equal to 1 fluid-drachm.. Earlier version first published in New English Dictionary, 1911.
  15. July–December 1876 . Domestic Measurement of Medicine . The Eclectic Magazine of Foreign Literature, Science, and Art . 87 . 766–7 . New York . . W. H. . Bidwell . 700637572 . 2027/uc1.b2870858 .
  16. Web site: Why is a measure of whisky called a dram? . 2022-04-10 . TopWhiskies . en.
  17. Encyclopedia: Simpson . John A. . John Simpson (lexicographer) . Weiner . Edmund S.C. . Edmund Weiner . . dram, n. . 2 July 2012 . 2nd . 1989 . . Oxford, England . 978-0-19-861186-8 . 50959346. Earlier version first published in New English Dictionary, 1897.
  18. Book: Ritter . Francis D. . Successful Personal Injury Investigation: Master the Techniques of Finding the Facts that Win Cases for Plaintiff Attorneys . 2000 . Diverse Publications . Oceanside, California . 804 . First.
  19. Book: Erbsen. Wayne. Front Porch Songs, Jokes & Stories. 1993. Native Ground. 12.
  20. Web site: The Milliner - Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes. slippery-hill.com. 15 September 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151008190652/http://slippery-hill.com/M-K/. 8 October 2015.
  21. Brown, John. Gie the fiddler a dram. Rec. May 1939 by Herbert Halpert. Lib. of Cong. Web. 15 September 2015. .
  22. Web site: Little Maggie – Bluegrass Lyrics .
  23. Book: Powell . Richard . Royal College of Physicians of London . Royal College of Physicians of London . The Pharmacopœia of the Royal College of Physicians of London, M. DCCC. IX . corr. and enl. 2nd . 1809 . Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme . London . 622876101 . 3 . Weights, Measures, &c. [measures of liquids sect.] |series=Pharmacopoeia Londinensis.English |hdl=2027/wu.89097444632 }}

    Ancient unit of mass

    A coin weighing one drachma is known as a stater, drachm, or drachma. The Ottoman dirhem (Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928);: درهم) was based on the Sassanian drachm, which was itself based on the Roman dram/drachm.

    British unit of mass

    The British Weights and Measures Act 1878 introduced verification and consequent stamping of apothecary weights, making them officially recognized units of measurement. By 1900, Britain had enforced the distinction between the avoirdupois and apothecaries' versions by making the spelling different:[9]

    • dram now meant only avoirdupois drams, which were of an avoirdupois ounce. An ounce consisted of 437.5 grains, thus making the dram approximately 27.34 grains.
    • drachm now meant only apothecaries' drachms, which were of an apothecaries' ounce of 480 grains, thus equal to 60 grains.

    Modern unit of mass

    In the avoirdupois system, the dram is the mass of  pound or  ounce. The dram weighs  grains, or exactly grams.

    In the apothecaries' system, which was widely used in the United States until the middle of the 20th century,[10] the dram is the mass of  pounds apothecaries (lb ap), or  ounces apothecaries (oz ap or ℥) (the pound apothecaries and ounce apothecaries are equal to the troy pound (lb t), and troy ounce (oz t), respectively). The dram apothecaries is equal to or, or exactly grams.

    "Dram" is also used as a measure of the powder charge in a shotgun shell, representing the equivalent of black powder in drams avoirdupois.[11]

    Unit of volume

    The fluid dram (or fluid drachm in British spelling[12]) is defined as of a fluid ounce, and is exactly equal to:

    A teaspoonful has been considered equal to one fluid dram for medical prescriptions.[14] However, by 1876 the teaspoon had grown considerably larger than it was previously, measuring 80–85 minims.[15] As there are 60 minims in a fluid dram, using this equivalent for the dosage of medicine was no longer suitable. Today's US teaspoon is equivalent to exactly 4.92892159375 ml, which is also US fluid ounces, US fluid drams, or 80 US minims.

    While pharmaceuticals are measured nowadays exclusively in metric units, fluid drams are still used to measure the capacity of pill containers.

    Dram is used informally to mean a small amount of liquor, especially Scotch whisky.[16] [17] The unit is referenced by the phrase dram shop, the U.S. legal term for an establishment that serves alcoholic beverages.[18]

    In popular culture

    The line "Where'd you get your whiskey, where'd you get your dram?" appears in some versions of the traditional pre–Civil War American song "Cindy".[19] In the Monty Python's song "The Bruces' Philosophers Song", there is the line "Hobbes was fond of his dram". In the old-time music tradition of the United States, there is a tune entitled "Gie the Fiddler a Dram",[20] [21] "gie" being the Scots language word for "give", brought over by immigrants and commonly used by their descendants in Appalachia at the time of writing. "Little Maggie," a traditional song popular in bluegrass music, refers to the title character as having a "dram glass in her hand."[22]

    In the episode "Double Indecency" of the TV series Archer, the character Cheryl/Carol was carrying around 10 drams of Vole's blood and even offered to pay for a taxi ride with it.

    In Frank Herbert's Dune, the Fremen employ a sophisticated measurement system that involves the drachm (and fractions thereof) to accurately count and economize water, an ultra-precious resource on their home, the desert planet Arrakis.

    External links

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