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The Uncertain Origins of Aspirin - Asimov Press

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On a cool starlit night in ancient Egypt, a wife brews willow-bark tea for her husband, hot with fever; While Athens and Sparta wage war, Hippocrates hurries to the river to shave some more willow bark, intending to cool down another sick child brought to his door; While George III marries Princess Charlotte, a son dashes off into the woods in search of willow bark to treat his mother’s worsening fever. While these anecdotes are familiar from cinema and literature, the history of aspirin and the willow bark from which it is (supposedly) derived is far from clear. For instance, it is often said that Hippocrates prescribed willow bark tea to treat inflammatory pain. In a perfect world, we would know this because a verified scroll from around 400 BC would exist, stating: “For inflammation, I recommend willow bark tea, and so does everyone I know. So sayeth Hippocrates of Kos, future father of medicine and writer of the eponymous oath.” Of course, such primary material does not always come

Watch our behind-the-scenes interview with the author on YouTube. By Sean Harrison On a cool starlit night in ancient Egypt, a wife brews willow-bark tea for her husband, hot with fever; While Athens and Sparta wage war, Hippocrates hurries to the river to shave some more willow bark, intending to cool down another sick child brought to his door; While George III marries Princess Charlotte, a son dashes off into the woods in search of willow bark to treat his mother’s worsening fever. While these anecdotes are familiar from cinema and literature, the history of aspirin and the willow…

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