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Aspirin turns 113

| August 10, 2010 9:00 PM

Got a headache? Say, "Happy birthday, aspirin."

As the now-somewhat-debated story goes, it was on this day in 1897 that chemist Felix Hoffman first synthesized the first sample of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). ASA wasn't initially prescribed for headaches, but for rheumatism - a condition suffered by Hoffman's father.

Modern research has uncovered evidence that ASA may have been developed at least in part by Hoffman's supervisor, Arthur Eichengrun, but that Eichengrun's name was removed from documentation during World War II because he was a German Jew.

In any case the drug was first marketed for prescription only under the trademark Aspirin in 1899 by their employer, Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Pure salicylic acid was first extracted by ancient Greeks from the plant spiraea ulmaria. Take "a" for acetyl, add "spir" for the plant and "-in" as a common drug suffix and voila.

Ironically, while aspirin wasn't first used to treat headaches or fever, the Greeks knew better. About 400 B.C. the famous Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed salicin, extracted from the willow bark tree, to treat fevers and pain. Now Americans consume 80 billion aspirins annually.

By 1915 aspirin was the No. 1 drug worldwide and available without a prescription. In 1948 California M.D. Lawrence Craven noticed that the 400 men to whom he had prescribed aspirin for other conditions hadn't suffered heart attacks, initiating the idea of an aspirin a day to reduce heart attack risk. However, it wasn't until 1988 that the FDA began to approve aspirin for prevention of cardiologic events such as strokes and heart attacks.

Hoffman and Eichengrun weren't the only inventors responsible for the aspirin we know today. Problems such as related stomach discomfort led to additional invention which made aspirin both more palatable and more useful.

It's a fine coincidence of timing that successful cardiologist Joe Abate has teamed up with Dirne Clinic, Panhandle Health and a host of volunteers to provide free health care on Aug. 14 at Cd'A Charter Academy. The clinic is for uninsured people with non-immediate care medical conditions. To get an appointment call Dirne at (208) 415-0286 to register in advance.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. E-mail her at sholehjo@hotmail.com