August: The birth of aspirin

On August 10th 1897, 29 year old Dr Felix Hoffmann, working for Bayer in Germany successfully created a superior form of salicylic acid known as acetylsalicylic acid.  Later that same month, Hoffmann produced a substance that Bayer would later market and name heroin.

Salicylic acid is found in willow trees and whilst having been used for many centuries for its pain relieving qualities it also had many bad side effects so a more usable form had been sought.  Coincidentally, Hoffmann's father was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and had become unable to stomach salicyclic acid.

It wasn't until 2 years later in 1899 that it was given its brand name aspirin and began to be produced and sold to doctors and hospitals.  It was the first mass produced medicine sold in tablet form.

The image to the right is of aspirin under polarised light - this comes from a set of artistic photomicrographs donated to the RSC by Dr Harold Rose.