Felix Hoffmann

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Minin Maxim

industrialist family in 1868. He was educated at the University

of Munich, where he received his doctorate and graduated with honors in 1893.

his Professor Adolf von Bayer. Bayer, who won the Nobel

prize in chemistry in 1905 for his work on synthesizing dyes, offered Hoffman a job at the German pharmaceutical giant for the production of Bayer dyes. In 1894, Hoffmann did just that, joining the newly created pharmaceutical research Department at Bayer in Elberfeld, Germany.

It was difficult for him to move, and painkillers at

the time were extremely ineffective or made the patient feel worse due to dangerous side effects.

to ease his father's excruciating pain. Hoffman's research led him

to salicylic acid, a substance widely found in willow bark. In 1859, chemists created a synthetic salicylic acid. But unfortunately, the substance caused abdominal pain that made daily use difficult. But Felix Hoffmann found a way to make this connection safe for General reception. Using acetic acid, Hoffman was able to create a chemically pure and stable form of salicylic acid on August 10, 1897. The chemical reduced pain and lowered the temperature without the side effects of an upset stomach. Acetylsalicylic acid was given the name aspirin, from" A "for acetyl and" Spirin " from Spirea, a name for shrubs where an alternative source of salicylic acid can be found.

analgesic properties of codeine, a compound that is produced from

opium and is a weaker form of morphine. Hoffman performed the same process as with salicylic acid on morphine, hoping to create codeine.

1870s, the dangers of heroin were not yet realized, so

Bayer sold it widely to suppress coughs, relieve pain during childbirth and serious injuries, to anesthetize patients, and to control certain mental disorders.

rich man, though single, in Switzerland in 1946. But almost

125 years later, Hoffman's invention is still in use. Aspirin has been used to relieve pain and reduce fever, as well as to treat heart disease and recover from heart surgery.