How to Measure
and Give Medicine
59
CHAPTER
8
SYMBOLS:
= means: is equal to or
is the same as
+ means: and or plus
1+1 = 2
One plus one equals two.
HOW FRACTIONS ARE SOMETIMES WRITTEN:
1 tablet = one whole tablet =
1/2 tablet = half of a tablet =
1 1/2 tablet = one and one-half tablets =
1/4 tablet = one quarter, or
one-fourth of a tablet =
1/8 tablet = one-eighth of a tablet (dividing it
into 8 equal pieces and taking 1 piece) =
MEASURING
Medicine is usually weighed in grams (g.) and milligrams (mg.).
1000 mg. = 1 g. (one thousand milligrams make one gram)
1 mg. = .001 g. (one milligram is one one-thousandth part of a gram)
Examples:
One adult aspirin
tablet contains
300 milligrams
of aspirin.
.3 g.
0.3 g.
0.300 g.
300 mg.
All these are
different ways
of saying 300
milligrams.
One baby aspirin
contains 75 milligrams
of aspirin.
.075 g.
0.075 g.
75.0 mg.
75 mg.
All these are
different ways
of saying 75
milligrams.
Note: In some countries some medicines are still weighed in grains; gr. = grain and
1 gr. = 65 mg. This means a 5 gr. aspirin tablet weighs about 300 mg.