Abstract
The application of aspirin-like drugs in modern medicine is very broad, encompassing the treatment of inflammation, pain and a variety of cardiovascular conditions. Although anecdotal accounts of willow bark extract as an anti-inflammatory drug have occurred since written records began (for example by Hippocrates), the first convincing demonstration of a potent anti-pyretic effect of willow bark containing salicylates was made by the English cleric Edward Stone in the late eighteenth century. Here, we discuss the route to optimizing and understanding the mechanism of action of anti-inflammatory drugs that have their origins in Stone's seminal study, ‘An account of the success of the bark of the willow in the cure of agues’. This commentary was written to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.
Highlights
In 1763, Edward Stone wrote to the Earl of Macclesfield, President of the Royal Society, with ‘An account of the success of the bark of the willow in the cure of agues’ [1]
Anecdotal accounts of willow bark extract as an anti-inflammatory drug have occurred since written records began, the first convincing demonstration of a potent anti-pyretic effect of willow bark containing salicylates was made by the English cleric Edward Stone in the late eighteenth century
This landmark paper is the basis for the discovery of the actions and chemical structure of aspirin, and the development of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, known as NSAIDs, that are so useful in treating inflammatory pain and fevers
Summary
In 1763, Edward Stone wrote to the Earl of Macclesfield, President of the Royal Society, with ‘An account of the success of the bark of the willow in the cure of agues’ [1] This landmark paper is the basis for the discovery of the actions and chemical structure of aspirin, and the development of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, known as NSAIDs, that are so useful in treating inflammatory pain and fevers. Having discovered the active ingredient of willow bark that has such useful medicinal qualities and established the chemistry necessary to produce large amounts of this material, the mechanism of action of aspirin and related drugs remained uncertain until 1971.
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