[4][5] The bronze relief features a foxglove plant, a snake curled around the heads of Hygeia, the Greek goddess of good health, and her father Aesculapius, god of medicine.

[5] In the top left and bottom right are the Roman numerals for the years 1479 and 1722 respectively, the time period during which most witches were persecuted in Scotland.

[4][7][5] The 1851 building replaced its 17th-century predecessor, constructed when act of parliament in 1624 enabled the bringing of fresh water into the city from the nearby Pentland Hills.

[10][3] In 2019 those calls were repeated by Dr Goodare and Louise Yeomans, as directors of the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft.

The foxglove spray further emphasises the dual purpose of many common objects.The inscription has been criticised for historical inaccuracy, in the assumption that those killed had magical powers.