Take the Pause That Refreshes While Attending APA's Institute

Abstract

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article APA InstituteFull AccessTake the Pause That Refreshes While Attending APA's InstituteJoan Arehart-TreichelJoan Arehart-TreichelSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:20 Aug 2004https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.39.16.0390020What brings about more nostalgic sighs than those wrought-iron Coca-Cola chairs or a plump Santa chugalugging a bottle of Coca-Cola?,Yes, we're talking about memorabilia of that world-famous brew—Coca-Cola.And where can you see, touch, and catch whiffs of such ancient treasures? At the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, when you are in town for APA's Institute on Psychiatric Services.It all started in 1886 when a Philadelphia-educated pharmacist and Atlanta resident named John Pemberton decided to enter a local market for soda fountain tonics that promised health benefits of one kind or another. He concocted a drink from the extracts of the coca leaf and kola nut, both stimulants, a combination that wasn't changed until 1905.During APA's institute, the World of Coca-Cola will be open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 pm©1996, Kevin C. Rose/AtlantaPhotos.comThe resulting potion was a thick, caramel-colored syrup that was supposed to help a person's brain and nerves function better. He poured some of the syrup into a jug and took it to Jacobs Pharmacy in Atlanta, and the pharmacy then made a fountain drink of the syrup by mixing it with water. The drink was sold to customers for a nickel a glass. Coca-Cola was born.By the end of 1886, Pemberton had sold 25 gallons of Coca-Cola for a sum total of $50. In 1887, because of his poor health, he started to sell off his Coca-Cola company. By 1891 a druggist and businessman named Asa Candler had acquired total control of it. In 1893 Coca-Cola became a patented product in the United States. In 1919 Candler sold the company for $25 million to a consortium headed by an Atlanta businessman named Ernest Woodruff.As the 20th century moved on, Coca-Cola became a much-sought-after beverage not only in the United States but in many other countries as well. Today Coca-Cola is the world's most popular soft drink. Cokes can be purchased in more than 200 countries across the globe, and Cokes are served nearly one billion times a day.In 1990 the Coca-Cola Company opened a museum designed to celebrate its world-famous soft drink. The museum, called the World of Coca Cola, is located in the tourist area of Atlanta, adjacent to Underground Atlanta; it is very close to where the first Cokes were sold in Jacobs Pharmacy.The museum consists of a three-story pavilion, where visitors can move at their own pace through exhibit galleries. There are fascinating Coke memorabilia, radio and television ads, and a fanciful Coke-bottling process. An old-fashioned soda jerk demonstrates how an early Coke was prepared.©1996, Kevin C. Rose/AtlantaPhotos.comYou can visit “Tastes of the World,” an international sampler of soft drinks distributed by the Coca-Cola Company outside the United States. There is even a futuristic soda fountain.The World of Coca-Cola is located at 55 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The phone number is (770) 578-4325, and its Web site is<www.woccatlanta.com>.▪ ISSUES NewArchived