New Nonfiction
Aspirin: the remarkable story of a wonder drug by Diarmuid Jeffreys.
Aspirin has its earliest beginnings in the Ancient Egyptian recognition of the usefulness of Willow bark for the treatment of rheumatism. Writing for a general audience, British journalist Jeffreys examines the history of the "wonder drug" from those beginnings to the current resurgence of interest in its usefulness for a wide range of hitherto unsuspected applications. His narrative is a story of scientific accidents, commercial competition, public relations management, corporate greed, and other factors in the widespread adoption of the medicine.