Reviewed by Nicole Laskowski

“Somewhere close by — in the bathroom cabinet, tucked away in a desk drawer, at the bottom of an old jacket pocket — there’ll be a container with some aspirin in it. Take out a tablet and examine it for a moment,” begins the preface of Diarmuid Jeffreys’ latest book, Aspirin: The Remarkable Story of a Wonder drug.

And examine is precisely what Jeffreys does. Going back all the way to ancient Egypt, Jeffreys pieces together the history of aspirin and the affects it has had on the world.

It is simply an amazing story. Not only can aspirin alleviate a headache, reduce a fever, and prevent  heart attack, but it is an historical character all its own.

What the world knows as a tiny, white, chalky pills, had an influence on both World War I and II, was an amazing element of the Great Influenza Pandemic that swept through the world in 1918-19, was partially responsible for the formation of the Food and Drug administration, was a contributor to the development of patent law and intellectual property, and has become one of the most commercially successful products in the world.

Jeffreys, whose profession as a journalist shines through with his extensive research, reveals this complex tale, explaining to even a layperson the intricate chemistry and science involved. Rather than bogging down the reader with fact after fact, Jeffreys balances dates, trials, and scientific experiments with insight and detail into the cast of characters who worked to create an over-the-counter drug. Although the cast is lengthy, Jeffreys is capable of showing both the tension of competition and the celebration of discovery behind the bottling of a miracle drug.

In the end, Jeffreys leaves his readers with current research, explaining that aspirin’s influence may not be over. Testing of aspirin’s effects on cancer, AIDS and even Alzheimer’s and senility are ongoing. The tiny pills Jeffreys describes in the preface of his book have truly carved out a niche in history. And through a narrative that snakes through the streets of England, the laboratories of Germany, the legal system of the United States, and the medicine cabinets of the world, the most lasting character impression he creates can only be defined as a “wonder drug.”