Americans this year will swallow 15000 tons of aspirin, one of the safest and most effective drugs invented by man. As the most popular medicine in the world today, it is an efficient pain reliever. Its harmful effects are relatively moderate, and it’s cheap.
For millions of people who have arthritis, it is the only thing that works. Aspirin, in short, is truly the 20th-century wonder drug. It is also the second-largest suicide drug and is the leading cause of poisoning among children. It has side effects that, although relatively mild, are mainly unrecognized among users.
Even though a German company first sold aspirin in 1899, it has been around much longer than that. Hippocrates, in ancient Greece, understood the medical value of the leaves and tree bark, which today are known to contain salicylates, the chemical in aspirin. During the 19th century, there was a great deal of experimentation in Europe with this chemical. It led to the introduction of aspirin.
What is discussed in the first paragraph?