Such use often led to gastrointestinal irritation, which could in turn lead to nausea, vomiting, bleeding, and ulcers. Eventually cited by many as the discoverer of aspirin, Hoffmann approached the task with a personal interest: his father suffered from rheumatism and was taking salicylic acid for it, but he could no longer ingest the drug without vomiting.
The key to his discovery, although realized only later, was that this chemical transformation provided a new molecule that the body could absorb without significant gastrointestinal distress. Once ingested, the new molecule was converted back to salicylic acid in the stomach, liver, and blood, thereby providing the desired therapeutic benefits.
As such, modern synthetic aspirin can be considered a drug-delivery system for a natural product that has been in medical use for literally thousands of years. However, this new derivative of salicylic acid did generate some controversy. There was a difference in opinion regarding the potential benefits of acetylsalicylic acid, which would ultimately become a personal dispute as well as a scientific one.
In the article Dreser compared aspirin with other salicylates in an effort to demonstrate that it was more beneficial and less toxic. This work was coupled with human trials whose results were published in in the journals Die Heilkunde and Therapeutische Monatshefte , showing that aspirin was indeed superior to other known salicylates.
On 6 March the Bayer Company registered the product under the trade name Aspirin and then actively began to distribute the white powder to hospitals and clinics. Although the company name Bayer has long been associated with aspirin, after World War I, Bayer lost the sole right to use the name aspirin.
Medical reports highlighted the benefits of aspirin, and its popularity reflected the already significant use of salicylic compounds, coupled with the fact that this new drug was considerably safer and comparably less toxic. In aspirin became available to the public without a prescription, making it arguably the first modern, synthetic, over-the-counter, mass-market medicine and a household name around the world.
By providing an easy and inexpensive method to alleviate pain, aspirin began to change the experience and expectations of patients and doctors and ultimately the nature of modern medicine itself. Before the mids Western physicians had considered pain an essential diagnostic tool, something that aspirin alleviated and thus disguised. Doctors would now have to look to other symptoms.
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I have forgotten my password. Advanced search. The discovery of aspirin This month in aspirin, one of the world's best-known drugs, was synthesised. Share Print Friendly. Send Message. Academic Affiliations:. Professional Setting:. My academic experience includes more than 40 years as a practicing medical doctor, teacher, and researcher. Academic Activities:. Profesional Associations:. Return to Scientific Advisory Board. John Chia. Medical Oncology.
Scientific Interests:. Aspirin as adjuvant therapy in established cancers Adoptive T cell therapy and Dendritic cell vaccines in the treatment of solid tumors Clinical Trial Design and Management. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest:.
Lina Badimon. Pharmacology, Cardiovascular Disease. Cardio-metabolic diseases, thrombosis, atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease. Junbo Ge. Ruth Langley. Medical oncologist; trialist. Aspirin Gastro-oesophageal malignancy Transdermal oestrogen in the treatment of prostate cancer Trials methodology.
Has received honorarium from Bayer. Andrew T Chan. Andrew T. The role of aspirin in the prevention of colorectal cancer and other cancers The role of the gut microbiome in colorectal cancer and other chronic gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and diverticulitis The role of diet and lifestyle in colorectal cancer and other chronic gastrointestinal cancers.
I received consultant Bayer and Pfizer, Inc. Mike Gaziano. I am a chronic disease epidemiologist with a particular interest in the roles that individual lifestyle choices diet, exercise, smoking , metabolic factors obesity, high cholesterol, and hypertension , and biochemical and genetic markers play on the risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic illnesses.
Also, of interest is the impact that vascular disease has on other organ systems, including cognitive dysfunction and renal disease. I have an interest in the design of large-scale trials and observational studies nested in large health care systems using big data analytic techniques. Famously, the drug rofecoxib Vioxx was withdrawn from the market in because of heart concerns.
A recent study found that painkillers called opioids heightened heart attack risk in addition to bone fracture when compared with patients taking NSAIDs such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
Aspirin has a lot of cheerleaders, but it's important to keep the downsides in perspective. Scott Fishman, chief of pain medicine at the University of California, Davis, points out that as a pain reliever, aspirin's effects are potent but short-lived.
The way that aspirin inhibits enzymes in the stomach can lead to ulcers, which can be especially harmful in combination with decreased clotting. The drug works as a pain reliever because it blocks an enzyme that's required for the process of inflammatory response, he said. Patients should not just take it without consulting their physicians, Fishman said. Certain conditions such as bleeding disorders make taking aspirin dangerous.
Some supplements, such as fish oil and garlic, can also cause bleeding problems in combination with aspirin, he said. Aspirin is not approved for children younger than 2 and should be used with caution in very young people because of a possible link to Reye's syndrome. Still, it's likely that aspirin has even more benefits that just haven't been discovered yet, Jeffreys said.
In his view, the drug is taken for granted, and not enough emphasis is placed on it. Share this on:. Most Popular.
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