What Is This Tool?
This unit converter allows you to convert weight measurements from the apothecary scruple, a historical unit, to the decigram, a modern metric unit. It is designed to aid in interpreting older medical and pharmaceutical prescriptions by providing accurate conversions to contemporary mass units.
How to Use This Tool?
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Enter the value in scruples (apothecary) you wish to convert.
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Select the scruple (apothecary) as the 'from' unit.
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Choose decigram [dg] as the 'to' unit.
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Click the convert button to see the result instantly.
Key Features
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Converts scruples (apothecary) to decigrams quickly and accurately.
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Browser-based tool accessible without installation.
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Supports historical and modern weight unit conversions.
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Useful for pharmaceutical history, archival work, and laboratory settings.
Examples
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2 s.ap converts to 25.919564 dg
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0.5 s.ap converts to 6.479891 dg
Common Use Cases
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Translating historical medical prescriptions into modern metric units.
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Converting archival pharmaceutical or botanical formulas for analysis.
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Interpreting alchemical texts that use apothecary weight units.
Tips & Best Practices
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Always verify the original context when dealing with historical units.
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Use the tool to maintain consistency in laboratory or archival research.
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Be mindful that the scruple is an obsolete unit, so prefer metric units for modern measurements.
Limitations
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The scruple is primarily of historical importance and rarely used in contemporary practice.
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Conversion may include small rounding differences due to historical grain weight variations.
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The level of precision is limited by the original apothecary unit's historical context.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is a scruple (apothecary)?
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It is a historical unit of mass used in pharmacy equal to 20 grains or approximately 1.296 grams, mainly used for interpreting older prescriptions.
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Why convert scruples to decigrams?
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Conversion helps translate historical measurements into modern metric units for analysis, reproduction, or laboratory work.
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Is the scruple still used today?
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No, it is an obsolete unit mainly relevant for historical and archival research.
Key Terminology
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Scruple (apothecary)
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A historical unit of mass equal to 20 grains or about 1.296 grams used in pharmacy and medicine.
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Decigram (dg)
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An SI-derived unit of mass equal to one tenth of a gram, used for measuring small masses with finer resolution.
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Conversion Rate
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The fixed relationship showing that 1 scruple (apothecary) equals approximately 12.959782 decigrams.