Aspirin and a pharmaceutical milestone

On August 10, 1897, German chemist Felix Hoffman synthesised aspirin, paving the way for it to become a household name. Over a century later, aspirin might have been dislodged from its position as the most popular painkiller, but it continues to be in use despite controversies surrounding it. A.S.Ganesh takes a look at Hoffman and his war against pain...

As sentient beings, human beings constantly strive to be happy and avoid suffering. While an ideal world where everyone is happy and free from suffering might be a utopian dream, we have definitely come a long way at alleviating pain. German chemist Felix Hoffman’s aspirin had a telling role as a painkiller and continues to be relevant till this day as it has been clinically proven to work for many conditions. Aspirin’s ancestor, if we can use such a terminology, dates back thousands of years. For as far back as the Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur around 2000 BC, people were using the bark of the willow tree and extracts from the plant spiraea for relief from headaches, fevers, and inflammations.