Dairyland Rat Poison
container, made for
Wisconsin Pharmacal Co.,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
circa 1955-1965.
This was a warfarin-based
poison. Warfarin, which is
still the most widely used
rodenticide worldwide, was
developed by Karl Paul Link
at the University of
Wisconsin and patented by
the Wisconsin Alumni Research
Foundation (WARF) in 1947.
It inhibits blood clotting and
causes death by massive
internal bleeding. UW
researchers later developed
an improved formula, called
prolin, by adding a bactericide
that inhibits the body's
production of vitamin K.
(1999.143.34)

The Business and Technology collections document Wisconsin's history in the areas of agriculture, industry, commerce, and technology

Included are craftsmen's tools, industrial equipment, scientific apparatus, communications artifacts, transportation equipment, surveying tools, medical objects, photographic equipment, coins and currency, models, advertising and marketing items, office equipment, artifacts from labor unions,
and objects relating to power generation.

These collections support our understanding of:

• Mining
• Lumbering
• Dairying
• Heavy Industry
• Tourism
• Other sectors of Wisconsin's economy and work.

Curator : David Driscoll

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