Aspirin

In 1899, chemists extracted the painkilling ingredient of willow bark and made aspirin from it. Aspirin reduces fever and relieves pain caused by inflammation (as in arthritis or a sore throat). It works by reducing swelling and stopping the pain message travelling to the brain. Other synthetic drugs similar to aspirin, such as ibuprofen, have the same effect but have fewer side-effects.

Aspirin was first extracted from willow bark in 1899 and has been used as a painkiller ever since. Science & Society Picture Library