Aspirin to salicylic acid, the active component of willow extract. In 1853, chemist Charles Frédéric Gerhardt treated sodium salicylate with acetyl chloride to produce acetylsalicylic acid for the first time; in the second half of the nineteenth century, other academic chemists established the compound's chemical structure and devised more efficient methods of synthesis. In 1897, scientists at the drug and dye firm Bayer began investigating acetylsalicylic acid as a less-irritating replacement for standard common salicylate medicines, and identified a new way to synthesize it. By 1899, Bayer had dubbed this drug Aspirin and was selling it around the world. The word
Asa C. Matthews Asa C. Matthews Asa Carrington Matthews (March 22, 1833 – June 14, 1908) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician. Born in Pike County, Illinois, Matthews went to the public schools. He went to McKendree College and Illinois College. In 1857, Matthew was admitted to the Illinois bar. During the American Civil War, Matthew served in the 99th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He then practiced law in Pittsfield, Illinois. Matthews was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives and served as the speaker. Matthews was a Republican. He also was appointed Illinois Circuit Court judge in 1885. Matthews also served