Aspirin has long been established as a useful analgesic and antipyretic. I recommend this book for anyone who likes history or science. This week in science history saw, in 1897, felix hoffman first synthesise a stable form of acetylsalicylic acid for medical use, better known as aspirin. If it is possible to get giddy over aspirin, jeffreys manages it. The clinical trials on this list are studying aspirin. Aspirin thins the blood, so it may be able to flow past. The discoveries that changed contemporary medicine 179 us physicians health study and the british doctors trial, it has been con cluded that the use of lowdose aspirin is safe and effective in subjects with coronary event risk of at least 1. It also went into space in the firstaid kit of the apollo 11s lunar module. By the early 1950s, aspirin was the most common drug used in pediatrics, spurring bayer and other manufacturers to launch competing versions. If the article was about the word aspirin then it would be justified to call it a trademark in the opening sentence, but it is about this history of the drug aspirin. The history of aspirin iupac name acetylsalicylic acid begins with its synthesis and manufacture in 1899. Introduction aspirin is a drug which is widely used today to deal with the symptoms of many minor illnesses ranging from general relief from aches and pain. The ebers papyrus, an ancient egyptian medical text, refers to willow as an anti inflammatory or pain reliever for nonspecific aches and pains. Aspirin represents one of humankinds oldest pharmaceutical agents and continues to be a mainstay therapy for a variety of indications.
In greece, hippocrates administers willow leaf tea, which contains the natural compound from which aspirin is derived, to women to ease the pain of childbirth. Clinical trials using aspirin national cancer institute. Acetylsalicylic acid binds to and acetylates serine residues in cyclooxygenases, resulting in decreased synthesis of prostaglandin, platelet aggregation, and inflammation. History rolls on what does quinine have to do with aspirin. Felix hoffmann is the first to succeed in synthesizing a chemically pure and stable form of acetylsalicylic acid asa, which becomes the active ingredient in aspirin. Aspirin had became known as a preventative medicine in the fight against heart attacks, strokes and, lately, cancer.
The development, use, and marketing of drugs for children in the 20th century is a history that sits at the interface of the. Dvt occurs mostly in the lower extremities and to a lesser extent in the upper extremities. Doubtful given the stringent requirements but as this book traces through its history we can see the benefits of trying the. It is most interesting general audience books that i have read in years.
After a few gin and tonics quinine an english clergyman named rev. A history that shows how the little aspirin changed so much. Aspirin is an orally administered nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent. Aspirin no comments this book contains eight freestanding activities that can be used singly or as a coherent package in a wide range of teaching and learning situations for both academic and vocational courses. Smart news keeping you current aspirins fourthousandyear history its 2000 b. The author calls the aspirin age because there was so much turmoil, everyone was looking for something to ease their pain, but they had to make do with aspirin.
Candy aspirin, safety caps, and the history of childrens drugs. Reviewing over a century of aspirin research and use, aspirin and related drugs provides a comprehensive source of information on the history, chemistry, absorption in the body, therapeutic effects, toxicology, elimination, and future uses of aspirin. His book clearly demonstrates that the border between academic medical history and jour nalistic investigation is blurred. The spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the deadliest in history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwideabout onethird of the planets populationand killed an estimated 20 million. A history of aspirin infographic pharmaceutical journal. The standard adult aspirin dose was 5 gr, or 325 mg in metric, the dose still used today for analgesia. It might seem strange to have a popular book of more than 300 pages dedicated to just one drug. Learn to accurately shoot targets as small as an aspirin. From origins as a herbal folk medicine through its extended life as a front line pain killer and now to its potential applications as a life saving preventive medicine. Below, listen to audio of connolly reading the excerpt, in three parts. However, it wasnt until 1829 that scientists discovered that it was a compound called salicin in willow plants. The second part of the book covers the story of the wonder drug from 1899 to 1945.
It comes from spiraea, a biological genus of shrubs that includes natural sources of the drugs key ingredient. History of aspirin more than 100 years after the invention of aspirin it is being used to treat an increasingly wideranging set of conditions. Deep vein thrombosis dvt is the formation or presence of a thrombus in the deep veins. Although the uptake of aspirin in the medical community was initially slow, it soon took off and aspirin rapidly became known worldwide as one of the first analgesics. The remarkable story of a wonder drug kindle edition by. Surprisingly, bayer ag is still perpetuating this myth. History of aspirin aspirin was discovered by charles gerhardt in 1837. A medical history of humanity from antiquity to the present bmj 1998. Wired has a brief article on the history of aspirin, which contains the surprising fact that the same pharmacist who first synthesised the popular headache pill also first synthesised heroin. This agent exhibits analgesic, antipyretic, and anticoagulant properties.
This changed in 1934, when schmidt wrote a history of the discovery of aspirin after trawling through the bayer archives schmidt, 1934. Like all drugs, aspirin can be toxic at high doses greater than 150 milligrams per kilogram body weight, but the benefits of aspirin clearly outweigh the risks. One of the most brilliant medical historians and journalists of our time, the late roy porter, wrote a book called the greatest benefit to mankind. It is most interesting general audience books that i.
The remarkable story of a wonder drug by diarmuid jeffreys. Diarmuid jeffreys traces the story of aspirin from the drugs origins in an. Felix hoffmann, a young pharmacist working for the german pharmaceutical company bayer, patents a new pain reliever. Aspirin and the salicylates focuses principally on aspirin. Aspirin, one of the first drugs to come into common usage, is still mostly the widely used in the world approximately 35,000 metric tonnes are produced and consumed annually, enough to make over 100 billion standard aspirin tablets every year. If it is possible to get giddy over aspirin, jeffreys. The fact that the word aspirin is a trademark in some countries does not need to be mentioned in the opening sentence. Intertwined in all of this is the history of the nations themselves, as first wwi and then wwii changed who would own the rights to aspirin and dominate the markets in various countries. Jeffreys is an extremely clever and accessible writer, and his book is comprehensible while still being smart. Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, is a salicylate drug that as well as its best known effect as an analgesic to reduce aches and pains can also be used as an antipyretic to control fever. The name aspirin was agreed by a committee of those who had discovered the drug. The bitterness of the quinine was the basis for the next chapter in the history of aspirin.
He decided not to continue his research on it because he thought it was a waste of time and the procedure was to difficult. From origins as a herbal folk medicine through its extended life as a front line pain killer and now to its potential applications as a life saving preventive medicine, aspirin s role is constantly changing. A san francisco chronicle best book of 2004 jeffreys is an extremely clever and accessible writer, and his book is comprehensible while still being smart. The history of aspirin iupac name acetylsalicylic acid begins with its synthesis and. In a bayer laboratory in wuppertal, germany, young scientist dr. The aspirin age is a collection of essays on newsworthy events that happened between the two world wars.
Aimed at post16 students in chemistry, this book contains activities for. This is an excerpt from cynthia connollys new book children and drug safety. Aspirin timeline the story of aspirin is as remarkable and wide ranging as the number of uses doctors are now finding for it. It comes from the a in acetyl chloride, the spir in spiraea ulmaria the plant they derived the salicylic acid from and the in was a then familiar name ending for medicines. Gi bleeding has been shown to occur in less than 1% 41 of 6,300 patients of those taking aspirin to prevent a recurrent cvd event, such as a heart attack. This enthusiasm injects his wellresearched prose with a verve and drama that makes for something of a medical history page.
Aspirin, derivative of salicylic acid that is a mild nonnarcotic analgesic useful in the relief of headache and muscle and joint aches. T he f i rst sta ge wa s do ne to sust ain t he pa. The name was derived from a combination of acetyl and spiraea the latin name for meadowsweet. The royal society publishes a report detailing five years of experiments on the use of dried, powdered willow bark in curing fevers, submitted by edward stone, a vicar in chipping norton, oxfordshire. Farben, monsanto, and other multinationals come along.
Doubtful given the stringent requirements but as this book traces through its history we can see the benefits of trying the drug. Aspirin may help someone who is having a heart attack caused by a blockage in a blood vessel. Highlighting the historical evolution of the salicylates and the commercial development of. Biographies of the founders and other important bayer personalities are also available, as is information on the companys archive.
Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, has a chemical formula of c9h8o4. Aspirin is effective in reducing fever, inflammation, and swelling and thus has been used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever, and mild infection. Candy aspirin, safety caps, and the history of children. The ebers papyrus, an ancient egyptian medical text, refers to willow as an antiinflammatory or pain reliever for nonspecific aches and pains. Covers the history, science and use of aspirin and briefly covers some other pain relievers. This book contains eight freestanding activities that can be used singly or as a coherent package in a wide range of teaching and learning situations for both academic and vocational courses. Then, felix hoffman rediscovered it in 1899 as his father was suffering from arthritis. This site uses cookies small files stored on your computer to simplify and improve your experience of this website. The corporate history department of the bayer group looks at the development of the company since it was founded in 1863 until today.
Scientists found that the part of willow bark that is bitter and good for pain is the chemical salicin. On this day in 1897, a german chemist named felix hoffman created a chemically pure and stable form of salicylic acidotherwise known as the active ingredient in aspirin, the drug which came to. All trials on the list are supported by nci ncis basic information about clinical trials explains the types and phases of trials and how they are carried out. An amazing book detailing the most interesting history of a little aspirin tablet. The story of aspirin is as remarkable and wide ranging as the number of uses doctors are now finding for it. The most likely source of thrombus in pulmonary arteries is an embolization from deep. Notably, eichengruns contribution to the discovery was omitted. Edward stone, decided to walk through a marsh and start tasting bark from trees some one needed to be cut off. A very interesting book about a substance that has been used since antiquity, yet is still being discovered. This book emphasizes that salicylates are polycompetent drugs that influence a large number and variety of biological. Robert lynn asprin was an american author who was famous for his science fiction and fantasy novels. Hippocrates left historical records of pain relief treatments that included the use of powder made from the bark and leaves of the willow tree to help heal headaches, pains, and fevers.
Aspirin, codeine, and morphine were some of the drugs commonly ordered in grains as opposed to milligrams. He didnt mention childrens aspirin in the 1940s editions of his book, but gave it prominent acknowledgment by the mid1950s. Aspirin timeline the international aspirin foundation. He wrote many stand alone novels such as tmabu and the bug wars, cold cash war, the duncan and mallory series, however, he was best known for his incredible and humorous series of phules company and myth adventures of aahz and skeeve. Pdf the first 3500 years of aspirin history from its roots a. The father of modern medicine was hippocrates, who lived sometime between 460 b. Lowdose aspirin was one quarter of the standard dose, 1. Excellent book about the seemingly dull history of aspirin. Clinical trials are research studies that involve people. Balancing risk and protection in twentieth century america published in april 2018 by rutgers university press.
The extraordinary story of a wonder drug new edition by jeffreys, diarmuid isbn. A new book from nursing professor cynthia connolly looks at candy aspirin and other case studies surrounding development, use, and. The remarkable story of a wonder drug hardcover bargain price, september 21, 2004. History of discovery aspirin has a great history of development which. Medicines made from willow and other salicylate rich plants appear in clay tablets from ancient sumer as well as the ebers papyrus from ancient egypt. At this point the works of individual scientists are subsumed to the interests of corporations, and it is at this point that names such as i. Most of us have used aspirin at some time in our lives, but few will know that a related compound derived from willow bark has been used to relieve pain and treat fevers for over 2,000 years. Peter sheldon md frcp the fall and rise of aspirin the wonder drug studley, brewin books, 2007 isbn 9781858584034 paperback. The history behind aspirin 81 clinical correlations. This week in science history the discovery of aspirin. Part business history, part history of technology, and part social history jeffreys thoroughly researched work provides us with the accurate account of how this drug came about. Aspirin was one of the first drugs to come into common usage and it still one of the most researched drugs in the world, with an estimated 700 to 1,000 clinical trials conducted each year. Pulmonary embolism pe is an obstruction of the pulmonary artery or its branches by a thrombus sometimes due to fat or air. It seemed to me an uneven collection, more sensational than scholarly.