ASPIRIN

The extraordinary history of the little white pill found in just about everyone’s medicine cabinet.

Justifiably labeling aspirin a wonder drug, British journalist Jeffreys (The Bureau: Inside the Modern FBI, 1995) reminds us that its history dates back to around 3000 b.c., when the ancient Egyptians recorded the medicine value of willow, a source of salicylates. Germany’s Bayer Company developed acetylsalicylic acid and gave it the brand name Aspirin in the 19th century, but Bayer’s assets were seized by the US during WWI. Jeffreys sorts out the complicated story of the company’s subsequent struggle to regain its markets and protect its patents and trademark around the world. Taking a “for the want of a nail” approach, the author attributes to aspirin a significant role in the rise of Nazi Germany, asserting that if the drug had not made Bayer such a strong company, it would not have been able to consolidate German chemical firms into the giant cartel IG Farben, major financial backer of the Nazi party. Competition from other makers of aspirin and from Anacin and Bufferin (painkillers containing aspirin) first challenged Bayer’s supremacy; the later introductions of acetaminophen and ibuprofen further divided the analgesic market. Aspirin seemed to have reached the end of its glory days, but the pill got a surprising new lease on life in the 1980s, when research revealed its ability to inhibit platelets in the blood from clotting, which reduced the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Jeffreys also looks at studies suggesting that aspirin may be effective in preventing many forms of cancer, reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s and ameliorating less serious conditions such as migraines and periodontal disease. Some 26,000 scientific papers have already been published, and 2,000 aspirin research projects are in the works: who knows what new uses may next be uncovered?

A well-told and intriguing story with surprising twists and turns.