Aspirin

Starred review from September 1, 2004
According to British journalist Jeffreys' well-documented book, aspirin was born a little more than 100 years ago. That is, the word " aspirin" was coined in 1899 as a label for a new product, acetylsalicylic acid, manufactured by the German textile dye and pharmaceutical company Bayer. The concoction had been a known pain and fever reliever for well more than 6,000 years, but it took Bayer, which would eventually lose control of its baby in America for more than 75 years, to create the very first drug that owed its existence to a commercial rather than a scientific or medical ethic. Yes, aspirin was the earliest offspring of the increasingly uncomfortable yet wildly profitable marriage of medicine and commerce. What with Americans knocking back about 80 billion (yes, " billion") 300 mg aspirin tablets a year, to say nothing of even more billions taken throughout the rest of the world, the story of this little white pill makes fascinating reading. Besides the drug's widely known medical applications for pain and fever relief, heart attack and stroke prevention, and more, its colorful history includes drama, pathos, plot twists, humor, intrigue and even a handful of scurrilous and despicable characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)

September 15, 2004
Aspirin is a drug of apparently endless secrets. Research has continually uncovered new health benefits, from the first mention in ancient Egyptian scrolls of willow's medicinal uses to the more than 750 studies in the first half of 2004. It is now accepted as a tool in fighting heart disease and is showing potential for preventing or treating cancers, dementia, and a wide range of other conditions. Jeffreys (The Bureau: Inside the Modern FBI) traces aspirin's history by looking at the scientists, businessmen, and hucksters whose lives were entwined with the drug's rise, fall, and rise again, as well as the corporations and governments, most prominently Bayer and Nazi Germany, drawn into the story. The book covers much of the same ground as Charles C. Mann and Mark L. Plummer's The Aspirin Wars: Money, Medicine, and 100 Years of Rampant Competition but brings the story up to date. Recommended for medical, public, and academic libraries. Richard Maxwell, Penrose-St. Francis Health Svcs. Lib., Colorado Springs

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.