First Stop

We recommend a visitor begin in the administrative offices of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, which contain several display cases containing a variety of pharmaceutical memorabilia, including old pills, syringes, and jars.

Hanging near the window is a beautiful red show globe with a bronze dragon hook. The use of show globes as a symbol of pharmaceutical and medical care dates back four centuries, and pharmacists through history have prided themselves on their ability to create and preserve vibrantly colored water. Sailors landing in England knew that a show globe in a store window meant medical treatment was available there. In early America, a red show globe could mean the town had some kind of quarantine or disease, while a green show globe indicated the town was healthy.