Aspirin

A good example of a tradename that entered into the language, Aspirin was once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid. The first use of what became known as aspirin was by the Greek physician Hippocrates, who used powder extracted from the bark of a willow tree to treat pain and reduce fever. The bark contained salicin, a component of acetylsalicylic acid. Salicin was successfully isolated from willow bark in 1829 but it often irritated the stomach. Two years after a young Bayer researcher, Felix Hoffman, synthesized acetylsalicylic acid, Bayer registered the trademark "aspirin" on March 6, 1899. One hundred years later to the day, Bayer celebrated this event by turning its company headquarters into the world's largest pillbox. With over 200,000 square feet of cloth, hung from scaffolding by 50 mountain climbers, Bayer transformed its 400- foot tall building into one very large Bayer aspirin carton.

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A widely used analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory agent; also used as an antiplatelet agent. SYN: acetylsalicylic acid.

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as·pi·rin 'as-p(ə-)rən n, pl aspirin or aspirins

1) a white crystalline derivative C₉H₈O₄ of salicylic acid used for relief of pain and fever

2) a tablet of aspirin

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(acetylsalicylic acid)

n.

a widely used drug that relieves pain and also reduces inflammation and fever. It is taken by mouth - alone or in combination with other analgesics - for the relief of the less severe types of pain, such as headache, toothache, neuralgias, and the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. It is also taken to reduce fever in influenza and the common cold. Daily doses of aspirin are used in the prevention of coronary thrombosis and strokes in those at risk, and it has been shown to have a protective effect against a range of other conditions, including cataracts, colorectal cancer, and Behçet's syndrome. Aspirin works by inhibiting the production of prostaglandin; it may irritate the lining of the stomach, causing nausea, vomiting, pain, and bleeding. Tablets should not be held on the gum adjacent to a painful tooth as ulceration may occur. High doses cause dizziness, disturbed hearing, mental confusion, and overbreathing (see salicylism). Aspirin has been implicated as a cause of Reye's syndrome and should therefore not be given to children below the age of 12 unless specifically indicated. See also analgesic.

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as·pi·rin (asґpĭ-rin) [USP] acetylsalicylic acid, a drug having antiinflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects; it is the prototype of the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs whose mechanism of action is inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis; used for relief of pain, fever, and inflammation and for treatment of arthritis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatic fever. Because it is a platelet inhibitor, it is also used to reduce the risk of recurrent transient ischemic attacks, stroke syndrome, thromboembolism following certain surgical procedures, and initial or recurrent myocardial infarction. Administered orally or rectally.