The "magic drug" that changed the world! Was aspirin born from a doctor's filial piety?

There is a drug that you may not have taken, but almost everyone has heard of it. This is the famous aspirin. Aspirin has been discovered for more than 120 years. At first, it was just an unknown ingredient in willow bark, but now it has become a household name "magic medicine".

Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, the main ingredient of which is acetylsalicylic acid. It was first discovered by German chemist Felix Hofmann in 1897 and officially launched as a drug on March 6, 1899. As one of the three classic drugs in the history of medicine, aspirin is still the most widely used antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug in the world, and is also used as a standard preparation for comparing and evaluating other drugs.

● From willow leaves to salicylic acid, "magic drugs" have long been around humans

Li Shizhen, a famous pharmacist in my country, wrote in Compendium of Materia Medica: "Willow leaves... for erysipelas in children. Use one pound of willow leaves, add one bucket of water, boil and extract three liters of juice, and wash the affected area. It is advisable to wash seven or eight times a day..." This is probably the earliest written record of the anti-inflammatory effect of willow leaves in my country. As early as more than 2,000 years ago in ancient Egypt, people also recorded the analgesic effect of willow leaves. This shows that a certain component contained in willow leaves has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

After the continuous efforts of pharmacists and chemists, the active ingredient salicin was finally isolated and extracted from willow bark. Then it was further purified to obtain salicylic acid, a more potent and active compound, and it was artificially synthesized.

At this point, salicylic acid preparations, the predecessor of aspirin, were put into clinical use. However, people soon discovered that although this batch of new drugs had good anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, the side effects that came with it were not small. After some patients took salicylic acid despite the strange taste, they experienced nausea, vomiting, and even adverse reactions such as gastric ulcers and acidosis, and the treatment experience was poor.

Therefore, in that era, although salicylic acid preparations had begun to be used in patients with rheumatism or arthritis, their strong taste and side effects still deterred many people.

●The birth of aspirin is due to the filial piety of doctors

The father of the German chemist Hoffmann, the patent applicant for aspirin, was an arthritis patient. In order to enable his father to take safe and smooth medicine as soon as possible, he was determined to overcome the difficulty of salicylic acid.

Hard work pays off. Hofmann's team gave a perfect answer by adding an acetyl group to the salicylic acid molecule, which then formed acetylsalicylic acid. This acetyl group is simply the finishing touch in the eyes of later generations. It can neutralize the strong effect of salicylic acid, protect the gastric mucosa, and improve the overall performance of the drug.

After a large number of animal and human experiments, this drug was officially patented on March 6, 1899, and the famous "Aspirin" was born.

Asprin is derived from the meaning of acetyl and spireae (the source of salicylic acid). As expected, this drug was well received once it was released, and Bayer of Germany also made a lot of money from it. Although it experienced a property rights dispute in the later period, the strong momentum of aspirin has continued to this day, and Hoffman's filial piety has also been widely praised.

However, some people may ask, is aspirin one of the three classic drugs, just because of its antipyretic and analgesic effects? Of course not. In addition to its own excellence, aspirin can be called an evergreen in the history of medicine, thanks to the development of medicine and pharmacy. Through the continuous research of scientists, the efficacy of aspirin has been continuously developed, and today it has become a versatile clinical drug.

●The Spanish Flu became a pandemic

Aspirin first became known to the public during the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak. At the time, pharmacy sales of aspirin soared, and people began to use aspirin widely to relieve symptoms such as pain and discomfort. At the same time, the Spanish Flu became a global pandemic with a staggering number of casualties. However, reports that aspirin could alleviate symptoms attracted more people to use the drug. Therefore, the flu pandemic promoted the popularity and widespread use of aspirin, making it one of the best-selling drugs at the time. Since then, aspirin's popularity and application have continued to expand, becoming one of the indispensable drugs in modern medicine.

During World War II, aspirin played a new role and contributed to victory in the war. First, aspirin was used for wound treatment and pain relief during World War II. During the war, many soldiers were injured and needed emergency treatment. Aspirin was used to relieve pain, reduce fever, and reduce inflammation, so that the soldiers received effective treatment and relief. Secondly, aspirin was also used to prevent the formation of blood clots. During the war, soldiers were in a state of high tension and lack of exercise for a long time, and were prone to thrombosis. As a platelet aggregation inhibitor, aspirin can prevent the formation of blood clots, reduce the incidence of thrombosis in soldiers, and ensure their physical health.

● Aspirin becomes a deity

Aspirin, often referred to as an antipyretic analgesic or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in clinical practice, was used to treat arthritis, colds, flu, etc. in the early days of clinical use mainly for its antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, at the time, there was no consensus on why aspirin, or salicylic acid preparations, had such effects.

It was the British scientist John Venn who really made aspirin famous. In 1971, he and Professor Priscilla Piper discovered the analgesic and anti-inflammatory mechanism of aspirin: this type of salicylic acid preparation can inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandins in the body, thereby relieving or eliminating the fever, pain and inflammation caused by them.

Further research has found that aspirin's interference with prostaglandin synthesis is actually due to its inhibition of the production of a substance called cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), which is the key enzyme that causes platelet aggregation in the human body. Therefore, patients who have undergone heart stent surgery now have to take aspirin for a long time because of its anti-platelet aggregation and anti-thrombotic effects.

Aspirin's antithrombotic effect makes it one of the drugs that must be taken after major vascular surgery, which can effectively reduce the risk of re-blockage of blood vessels after surgery. And Wien also won the 1982 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this major research achievement.

Since then, the medical community has not stopped researching aspirin. Today, people have discovered more effects of aspirin. In addition to the traditional antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, and anti-thrombotic effects, it can also be used to prevent digestive system malignancies, breast cancer, and melanoma, treat Kawasaki disease (mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome), and can be used as an auxiliary medication for female infertility. It has been more than 120 years since aspirin was patented. It has always been accompanied by the development of modern medicine and complemented each other: its emergence has solved many medical problems, and the development of medical science has unveiled layers of veils for aspirin.