Aspirin: The Remarkable Story of a Wonder DrugDiarmuid Jeffreys traces the story of aspirin from the drug's origins in ancient Egypt, through its industrial development at the end of the nineteenth century and its key role in the great flu pandemic of 1918, to its subsequent exploitation by the pharmaceutical conglomerates and the marvelous powers still being discovered today. Diarmuid Jeffreys is a British writer, journalist, and television producer who has made current affairs and documentary programs for BBC TV, Channel 4, and others. He is also the author of The Bureau: Inside the Modern FBI. He lives with his wife and children in East Sussex. A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2004 "Jeffreys is an extremely clever and accessible writer, and his book is comprehensible while still being smart. If it is possible to get giddy over aspirin, Jeffreys manages it. This enthusiasm injects his well-researched prose with a verve and drama that makes for something of a medical history page-turner."-Oregonian "A remarkable story...This is more than the story of aspirin: It is a history lesson."-San Diego Union-Tribune "Diarmuid Jeffreys seamlessly manages his complicated subject...Throughout, Jeffreys renders an absorbing account of the drug's ride from obscurity to celebrity and around about again to its rebirth as today's wonder drug."-San Francisco Chronicle "One of the most fascinating stories in the whole of medicine."-New Scientist Also available: HC 1-58234-386-1 ISBN 978-158234-386-0 $25.95 |
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Contents
1 | |
5 | |
The bark of an English tree | 17 |
3 The puzzle takes shape | 35 |
The birth of a wonder drug | 56 |
Book | 75 |
Patents patients and sell sell sell | 77 |
The chemists war | 97 |
A moral collapse | 168 |
Book Three | 193 |
Soluble solutions and costly competition | 197 |
So thats how it works | 219 |
Affairs of the heart | 235 |
A twentyfirstcentury wonder drug | 258 |
Notes and Sources | 279 |
323 | |
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acetanilide acetylsalicylic acid advertising ague American analgesic Arthur Eichengriin aspirin Aspirin Wars Aspro Bayer AG Bayer Aspirin Bayer Leverkusen became began benefits Britain called cancer Carl Duisberg chemical chemist chemistry clinical Collier Colman Green commercial company’s course difficult discovery disease doctors drug drug’s Ebers Papyrus Edward Stone Elwood epidemic experiments Farbenfabriken Bayer fever figures finally find finding firm first five flu Friedrich Bayer George German Germany’s heart attacks Heinrich Dreser Hoffman huge ibid IG Farben industry influence Influenza John Vane laboratory later Leverkusen little white pill London Maclagan Mann Medical journal Nazi Nicholas office official Papyrus Peto pharmaceutical pharmacists pharmacology physicians pills platelets Press profits prostaglandins Reckitt remedy rheumatic Richard Peto Royal salicin salicylic acid scientific scientists sell side effects significant Sterling Products Sterling’s substance tablets things took trade treatment trial Weiss York