[Sca-cooks] Drachma Weight

[Terry Decker]

>On the other hand, the ms seems to use the character sometimes
>called the 'yogh' (the one that can look misleadingly like a 3),
>which is the apothecary symbol for a drachm.  Does that mean that
>if they are using the symbol then they are also using the apothecary
>definition for the drachm?

Remember that most spices in period were sold through apothecaries or
spicers and that the spices were sold in apothecary measures.

>
>On the same other hand, if the ginger is one ounce and one drachm,
>why bother with the extra little bit if the drachm is only one
>sixteenth of an ounce, a 6% difference?  The 12% difference
>represented by the apothecary dram would be larger, enough to
>be tasted.
>
>
>Note that the modern Troy drachm is about 3.888 grams.
>
>The Paris avoirdupois drachm of the time of Menagier was about
>1.912 grams (not the modern 1.772 grams).
>
>
>Thorvald

This is because the standard French pound was set at 1.079 U.S. pounds.

Bear