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| 1965 Green Mortar and Pestle Ceramic Mug produced by McCoy Pottery for Schering Pharmaceuticals to promote Coricidin, a drug used to combat cold symptoms. |
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| Coricidin Children's Medilets relieve sniffles, sneezes and fever. |
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| Coricidin D Bottle. Favoured by Blues guitarists as bottle slides. |
I have two green and red novelty shaped Mortar and Pestle mugs made by McCoy. They have a great design, and I see them once in a while at antique stores ranging in price from $40 to $20. Definitely a show stopper for coffee or tea time.
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| Coricidin is inscribed on the Pestle |
"Schering-Plough Corporation was a United States-based pharmaceutical company. It was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering as Schering AGin Germany. In 1971, the Schering Corporation merged with Plough (founded by Memphis area entrepreneur Abe Plough in 1908)[1] to form Schering-Plough. On November 4, 2009 Merck & Co. merged with Schering-Plough with the new company taking the name of Merck & Co.
Schering-Plough manufactured several pharmaceutical drugs, the most well-known of which were the allergy drugs Claritin and Clarinex, an anti-cholesterol drug Vytorin, and a brain tumor drug Temodar. These are now available from Merck & Co.[2]
Schering Plough also owned and operated the major foot care brand name Dr. Scholl's and the skin care line Coppertone. These also became a part of the new company.[3]"
"McCoy has had a long tradition of producing mugs for several purposes. From coffee to tea to mortar and pestles along with its own line of utilitarian mugs McCoy made a number of advertising and gift bugs. One such mug for example, was made for Schering Pharmaceutical in the mid 1960's. Schering gave them out as a gifts for customers and as give aways at various pharmaceutical conventions. Known as "Coricidin Mugs" the order was originally given to Contemporary Ceramics. Given the large number ordered, Contemporary subcontracted to Nelson McCoy Pottery Co.
Other popular McCoy mugs are that of the Happy Face Line shown here: Happy Face Mug. Other mugs were commemorative in nature. For example the 1981 "Retirement Mug" for Nelson and Billie McCoy. The "Louis Armstrong" July 4th 1900-1971 mug. Other notable mugs included Cambell Soup Mug, Van Camp Pork and Beans Mug, and the Nelson McCoy Pottery Co. Mug.
Later McCoy LTD would go on to make a large variety of 3 1/2" coffee mugs."
(I have been looking for what the Van Camp Pork and Beans Mug looks like, and can not find it anywhere. Anyone?)
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| The Glaze on the Red mug is much thicker than the Green |
These mugs appear in five different colours: green, red (or salmon), yellow, blue and brown. Anecdotally I think blue is the hardest colour to find.
Beginning in 1963 Schering had metal mortar and pestles made as decorative gifts to pharmacies that agreed to set up a display to sell their drugs. The ceramic mortar and pestle mugs appear to have only had Galen and Coricidin on them and were only produced in 1965.
Mugs from 1966 are much less common and feature the patron saints of Pharmacy and Medicine; Cosmas and Damien.
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| Maimonides Mortar & Pestle Radio: http://www.frontiernet.net/~barthology/S1968.htm |
Schering made a Coricidin Mortar and Pestle Radio in 1968 featuring Mamonidies, the Father of Pharmacy.
A Pharmacy Radio!
Pharmacists used to prepare pills and ointments themselves to be dispensed directly to patients. This could involve crushing various chemicals, herbs, or other ingredients with a mortar and pestle to release the medicinal properties and uniformly mix them. To this day the mortar and pestle symbol is used to indicate Pharmacies, though much of the work of preparing medicinal substances became pre-made in industrial factories after World War Two.
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| Galen 131-201AD is written on the mug. |
Galen is seen as the father of medicine, and attempted to systemize the messy business of superstition and observable facts.
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| Rx and the eye of Horus |
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| Secundum Artem and the Rx prescription symbol |
The word RECIPE has its ORIGIN in late Middle English: from Latin, literally ‘receive!’
(first used as an instruction in medical prescriptions), imperative of recipere.
So a recipe in a cookbook is connected with medicine! A Korean restaurant I used to go to was run by a lovely lady who was proud of the fresh ingredients and called them medicine. She also had special teas made for Women and Men specifically.
The Rx symbol is also possibly related to the Eye of Horus. Horus has some relationship to Pharmacological doings, but I'm not sure I trust the "research" on the internet.
Secundum Artem is Latin; "According to the accepted practice of an art or trade."
From http://www.usciences.edu/museum/secundum_artem.shtml
"A Latin phrase literally meaning “according to the art or practice,” secundum artem often refers to doing something in the accepted manner of a skill or trade. In medicine, it can mean “employing skill and judgment” or “to make favorably with skill;” in pharmacy, preparations made secundum artem ensure they are pure and unadulterated, but the phrase also encompasses the apothecary’s obligation to provide good advice to customers who request over the counter drugs."
Fun fact about the Mortar (bowl) and Pestle (club shaped crusher). Aztec and Eastern civilizations do not see a "Man in the Moon" as Western civilizations do; instead they see a Moon Rabbit pounding a Mortar and Pestle.
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| Schering Pharmaceutical Logo on the bottom of the mug |
Schering Coricidin Mortar and Pestle Ceramic Mug: 350g
Height: 90mm
Diameter: 95mm
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