The story of aspirin begins over 3,000 years ago in Ancient Sumer and Egypt.
Back then, medicines derived from willow trees were used to treat fever and pain.
Later on in Ancient Greece, Hippocrates, known as the Father of Medicine, noted
that willow leaf tea helped to relieve the pains of childbirth.
The beginning of what we know today as aspirin began in 1763 when
an English chaplain named Edward Stone submitted a report to the Royal Society
detailing the use of dried, powdered willow bark in curing fever.
Let's fast forward to the 19th century.
The 19th century was a period of huge growth for the burgeoning field
of organic chemistry.
There was a huge focus on the isolation and purification of the active components
of many medicines, including willow bark.
In 1828 Johann Buchner was able to obtain relatively pure crystals
of a substance called salicin, an anti-inflammatory agent found
in the leaves and bark of the willow tree.
Then in 1838 something major happened. Italian chemist Raffaele Piria discovered
a method of obtaining a more potent acid form of the willow extract,
salicylic acid.
By 1853 French chemist Charles Frederic Gerhardt had published
the first methods to prepare acetylsalicylic acid,
the main ingredient in aspirin, by mixing acetyl chloride
with sodium salicylate.
Later in 1897 while employed at Bayer, young German chemist, Felix Hoffman,
discovered a better way to synthesize acetylsalicylic acid
from salicylic acid refluxed with acetic anhydride.
The acetylsalicylic acid created by Hoffman was then put through
clinical trials and initial reports were that it was a successful antipyretic,
but despite this, it was rejected due to salicylic acid's reputation
for weakening the heart.
However, later low-profile clinical trials were done anyway, proving that the drug
was an effective analgesic and had no apparent adverse effects on the heart.
By 1899, Bayer had chosen the name 'aspirin' for its new drug.
By 1950, aspirin had become the world's most popular pain killer.
Despite its popularity, aspirin's use declined after the development
of acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
However, due to the discovery of the basic mechanism of aspirin's
effects on the body and studies establishing aspirin's efficacy
as an anti-clotting agent from the 1960s through the 80s,
the use of aspirin was revitalized with a large revival of sales
in the later decades of the 20th century.
Now, aspirin stands as a preventative treatment for heart attacks and strokes.