September/October 2002 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 15, Number 5

The Medicine Chest

ASPIRIN- Acetylsalicylic Acid

by R.X. Daley, PharmD

History: The earliest know uses of salicin, the naturally occurring form of aspirin found in willow bark, dates back to the 5^th century B.C. Greek physician Hippocrates, who used it for pain relief.

Salicin was modified to sodium salicylate and was used in the early 1800’s as a pain reliever. However, this form of aspirin was very hard on the stomach. In 1897 a German chemist named Felix Hoffman, in order to help his arthritic father, altered sodium salicylate to acetylsalicylic acid in an effort to make a form of aspirin that was easier on the stomach.

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