Introduction One hundred years ago, a young chemist in Germany made a discovery which, today, continues to ease our aches and pains, reduce our fevers, fight inflammation and save lives. On August 10, 1897, this chemist, Felix Hoffmann, discovered a stable form of acetylsalicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin. Hoffmann had been seeking a pain-relieving medication for his father's debilitating rheumatism. Not only did the drug ease his father's pain and inflammation, but when it was marketed as aspirin by a company called Bayer two years later, it quickly became the world's most popular pain reliever. One cen