Pharmaceutical showglobes
On application
Showglobes became in the 18th and 19thc. The symbol of the apothecary or pharmacist. The actual origin of these globes is obscure. The original colors, blue and red, were supposed to represent venous and arterial blood. Another version is that the druggist used to extract his medicines in large glass containers in the windows of his shop so that the glass vessels containing colored liquids came to be associated with the art of pharmacy. Still another says that these beautiful bottles, of various sizes and shapes, were filled with colored liquids and at night, the pharmacist would place a lamp or a candle behind the showglobe to mark his shop. It is thought that the showglobe originated in the near east and was introduced into england during the great plague of london (1665-66), red is danger (contamination) and green says all is well whatever the origin of the showglobe it has become the trademark of the pharmacist as much as the sign of the mortar and pestle and the well-known rx symbol.
