Ted Myrick
The Science Club of Quail Creek made a visit to the Coit Museum of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The museum is divided into three sections. The first section houses the Upjohn collection. There we learned about the unique connection between Disneyland and the Upjohn pharmaceutical company. Upjohn leased a storefront from 1955 to 1970 showcasing artifacts from the pharmaceutical industry of the past and the current Upjohn product line.
The second section was the “Big Bottle” experience. There were several pieces of equipment used in the development of pharmaceutical products. There was a continuous extractor and a small pill press.
The third section was designed to look like an old drugstore from the 1930s. There were several thousand old product containers that were displayed in vintage-type cabinets. Drugstores used to be the “Walmart” of that time. They supplied candy, periodicals, cosmetics, first aid supplies, over-the-counter remedies, stationary, photographic supplies, and much more. You could have a piece of pie with a cup of coffee or a scoop of ice cream. And of course, you could get your prescription filled at the same time.
The Coit Museum is on the U of A campus and is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free.
The Quail Creek Science Club meets each Monday at 4 p.m. in the Gold Room at the Madera clubhouse.