Encyclopedia of Science | Acetylsalicylic Acid

• History
• How it works
• Words to Know
• Adverse effects

Acetylsalicylic (pronounced uh-SEE-tuhl-sa-luh-si-lik) acid, commonly known as aspirin, is the most popular therapeutic drug in the world. Sold without a prescription as tablets, capsules, powders, or suppositories (a meltable form for insertion into a body cavity), it reduces pain, fever, and swelling, is believed to decrease the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and may protect against colon cancer and help prevent premature birth. Aspirin is often called the wonder drug, but it can have some serious side effects: its use results in more accidental poisoning deaths in children under five years of age than any other drug.

History

In the mid- to late 1700s, English clergyman Edward Stone chewed on a piece...