Pill Tiles were widely used for rounding pills and mixing ointments.  Among the more fascinating of these are the 17th and 18th century English tin-glazed tiles bearing the Arms of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London (WSAL) founded in 1617.  Shortly after the Great Plague of London in 1665 the Society of Apothecaries of London was granted a coat of arms by the House of Lords, with Apollo, the god of healing, vanquishes the dragon of disease with bow and arrow.  B 1770 it had become customary to present new pharmacists with a pill tile at the end of their apprenticeship.  These may have been used for their intended purpose or merely hung on a wall in the apothecary as a means of publicly proclaim ing their professional association.