How many decigrams are in one scruple?

One scruple equals approximately 12.96 decigrams. This comes from 1 scruple = 1.296 grams and 1 gram = 10 decigrams.

Is the scruple still used in modern pharmacy?

No. All modern pharmacy uses metric units exclusively. The scruple was officially abandoned in the mid-20th century. It survives only in historical pharmaceutical texts and as a common English word meaning a moral hesitation.

Where does the moral meaning of 'scruple' come from?

Both meanings derive from Latin 'scrupulus' - a small sharp stone. Romans used tiny stones as balance weights (the measurement scruple) and compared the feeling of moral doubt to a pebble irritating your foot (the moral scruple).

Decigrams to Scruples (dg to s ap) Converter

1 dg = 0.0772 s ap

1 Decigram equals 0.0772 Scruples (1 dg = 0.0772 s ap). Convert Decigrams to Scruples with formula, table, and examples.

One decigram equals approximately 0.07716 scruples. The scruple (about 1.296 grams or 12.96 decigrams) was an apothecary weight unit used for compounding prescriptions until the 20th century. Both the decigram and the scruple occupy the small-mass domain, but the scruple carried medical authority while the decigram never achieved relevance in any profession.

How to Convert Decigrams to Scruples

s ap = dg × 0.0771617918

Multiply the value in Decigrams by 0.0771617918

Take your value in Decigrams
Multiply by 0.0771617918
Read the result in Scruples

Common Decigrams to Scruples Conversions

Decigrams (dg)	Scruples (s ap)	Status
1 dg	0.077162 s ap
2 dg	0.154324 s ap
5 dg	0.385809 s ap
10 dg	0.771618 s ap
25 dg	1.929045 s ap
50 dg	3.85809 s ap
100 dg	7.716179 s ap
250 dg	19.290448 s ap
500 dg	38.580896 s ap
1,000 dg	77.161792 s ap
5,000 dg	385.808959 s ap
10,000 dg	771.617918 s ap
50,000 dg	3,858.089588 s ap

Good to Know About Decigrams to Scruples Conversion

The scruple's dual identity as both a weight unit and a moral concept made it uniquely resonant in English. When Shakespeare's characters speak of having 'no scruple,' the audience understood both the ethical and the physical smallness implied. No other measurement unit has achieved this literary depth, and none is likely to - the milligram, for all its utility, will never inspire a soliloquy.

Decigrams to Scruples: What You Need to Know

An old-fashioned prescription for 'half a scruple of belladonna' meant about 648 milligrams (6.48 decigrams) of a dangerous nightshade extract. Such prescriptions required extreme precision. Today, both units have been replaced by the milligram in pharmacy, but historical medical records occasionally require conversion between these abandoned measurement systems.

What is a Decigram? dg

A decigram is one tenth of a gram. A metric unit used in some educational and scientific contexts.

Metric scientific measurement education

Learn more about Decigram →

What is a Scruple? s ap

An apothecary scruple equals 20 grains or 1/3 of a dram apothecary (1.2959782 grams). A historical pharmaceutical unit largely replaced by metric measurements.

Apothecaries historical pharmacy historical medicine

Learn more about Scruple →

Going the other way? Use our Scruples to Decigrams converter.

Decigrams to Scruples FAQ

One scruple equals approximately 12.96 decigrams. This comes from 1 scruple = 1.296 grams and 1 gram = 10 decigrams.
No. All modern pharmacy uses metric units exclusively. The scruple was officially abandoned in the mid-20th century. It survives only in historical pharmaceutical texts and as a common English word meaning a moral hesitation.
Both meanings derive from Latin 'scrupulus' - a small sharp stone. Romans used tiny stones as balance weights (the measurement scruple) and compared the feeling of moral doubt to a pebble irritating your foot (the moral scruple).

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Decigrams to Scruples

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

Absolutely. A 'scrupulous' pharmacist (meaning careful and principled) might have 'scruples' (moral hesitations) about using 'scruples' (the weight unit) if they believed metric measurements were safer for patients. This triple meaning makes the scruple perhaps the most philosophically loaded unit in measurement history.
Significantly safer after. The coexistence of avoirdupois drams, apothecary drams, and scruples - all with different values - caused dosing errors that sometimes killed patients. Switching to milligrams eliminated this confusion. The scruple's retirement was a public health achievement disguised as a measurement change.
One scruple of morality equals about 12.96 decigrams of ethics, by this fanciful accounting. A person of 'great scruples' might have several scruples worth - say 50 decigrams of conscience. The metaphor breaks down quickly, but it does suggest that moral weight, like physical weight, comes in measurable quantities that the ancient Romans took quite seriously.