This Day in History: Bayer Patents Aspirin

On this day in 1899, the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin registers Aspirin, the brand name for acetylsalicylic acid, on behalf of the German pharmaceutical company Friedrich Bayer & Co. 

Now the most common drug in household medicine cabinets, acetylsalicylic acid was originally made from a chemical found in the bark of willow trees. In its primitive form, the active ingredient, salicin, was used for centuries in folk medicine, beginning in ancient Greece when Hippocrates used it to relieve pain and fever. Known to doctors since the mid-19thcentury, it was used sparingly due to its unpleasant taste and tendency to damage the stomach.

In 1897, Bayer employee Felix Hoffman found a way to create a stable form of the drug that was easier and more pleasant to take. (Some evidence shows that Hoffman’s work was really done by a Jewish chemist, Arthur Eichengrun, whose contributions were covered up during the Nazi era.) After obtaining the patent rights, Bayer began distributing aspirin in powder form to physicians to give to their patients one gram at a time. The brand name came from "a" for acetyl, "spir" from the spirea plant (a source of salicin) and the suffix "in," commonly used for medications. It quickly became the number-one drug worldwide.

Aspirin was made available in tablet form and without a prescription in 1915. Two years later, when Bayer’s patent expired during the First World War, the company lost the trademark rights to aspirin in various countries. After the United States entered the war against Germany in April 1917, the Alien Property Custodian, a government agency that administers foreign property, seized Bayer’s U.S. assets. Two years later, the Bayer company name and trademarks for the United States and Canada were auctioned off and purchased by Sterling Products Company, later Sterling Winthrop, for $5.3 million.

Bayer became part of IG Farben, the conglomerate of German chemical industries that formed the financial heart of the Nazi regime. After World War II, the Allies split apart IG Farben, and Bayer again emerged as an individual company. Its purchase of Miles Laboratories in 1978 gave it a product line including Alka-Seltzer and Flintstones and One-A-Day Vitamins. In 1994, Bayer bought Sterling Winthrop’s over-the-counter business, gaining back rights to the Bayer name and logo and allowing the company once again to profit from American sales of its most famous product. 

Titanic Museum

Titanic is one of those movies that I can watch over and over again and still cry at the end part. Yeah, I know it sounds silly but what can I do? The tragic love story of Jack and Rose is a real tearjerker. Because of this, I wish to visit the Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri someday. A friend of mine who went there to look for Branson lots couldn’t resist checking out the ship and she was really impressed at what she saw and experienced. According to my research, the Titanic Museum includes more than 400 artifacts from the actual wreck. Also on display are models of the ship, a full scale replica of the grand staircase and recreations of various rooms of the ship, in addition to eye-witness accounts of the events that occurred. Plus their 90-minute, self-guided tour is designed to give guests the sensation of being an original passenger on Titanic’s 1912 maiden voyage.

Tina’s Tuesdays

Posted on a Wednesday.  

If you could travel back in time…

1. Where would you go? I’ll go back to the time when my grandpa was still alive.
2. Who would you see? My lolo (grandpa)
3. What would you do? Talk to him, hug him and tell him how  much we missed him and how much we appreciate the legacy he left us.

You can join us here.

Should I Get a Life Insurance?

Two weeks ago, a good friend of mine paid me a visit and asked if I am interested to get a life insurance from their company. She is actually the third person to approach me about this insurance stuff but among the three, I trust her company the most because it is known globally and has a good reputation. And being good friends, I know she will not offer something that would jeopardize our friendship. Moreover, she made it clear right before we started talking that she’s not obliging me to get insured. Told yah, she’s a good friend.

We talked for more than two hours and I was so thankful because my friend was very patient in explaining and answering all my queries regarding the insurance policy, coverage, rates, payment schemes, etc. You can tell I’m already convinced but I still have to consult the husband about this so I just told her that I will keep in touch with her as soon as I get a yes from hubby.

Do you know what the husband said?

Shop around first and request for insurance quotes from various companies so I can avail of the best deals and best insurance rates in the market. And speaking of insurance quotes, hubby highly recommends www.autonetinsurance.co.uk. This website can help you find the most affordable insurance in the market whether it is a Home Insurance, Pet Insurance, Travel Insurance, or a Business Insurance, they all have it!

Virgo Horoscope for the Day

A friend’s recent advice is still humming in your mind — maybe it’s something you should follow, after all! Do an experiment today. Try out what they suggested. See how it feels for you. If you don’t see any changes by the end of the day, then you can go back to doing things the way you were doing them. But keep in mind that if you don’t change how you approach solving a problem, you can’t expect a change in the outcome.

~ hmmnn… this is very intriguing.  

I’m Back!

Told ya, I’ll be back! Hehe! Glad that everything’s back to normal now. Anyway, since the "moolah" site was down, I took the chance to surf for baby cribs for my sister who’s giving birth a couple of months from now. This Emily crib caught my attention:

This is exactly what my sister wants! This wooden white crib will fit perfectly on the baby’s nursery room. It’s an Emily 3 in 1 Crib in White Finish By Da Vinci Baby Furniture. Here’s the product description from the website:

With a sleek, modern, sophisticated look for today’s nursery, the Emily Crib from DaVinci® features one static side with no moving parts as well as a day bed conversion rail kit, full size headboard, and footboard. Built with thought so parents can take their little ones out of the crib with little effort, the crib features a 4-level mattress spring system to adjust to your child’s growth.

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Okidoks! I got the message! be back later!

Sleep and Wake Up Early: So Guilty!

The main causes of liver damage are:

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
2. Not urinating in the morning.
3. Too much eating.
4. Skipping breakfast.
5. Consuming too much medication.
6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.
7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.
Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

Adult Friendly!

Settlement Quotes

Want to know whether your blog is family or adult friendly? Then you should take this quiz! All you have to do is type in your blog URL and the system will automatically rate your blog. As the result revealed, my blog is Adult Friendly! So kids you better get your guardian or parents when reading my blog. Hehe! Anyway, if you have already taken this quiz,  there are other fun blog quizzes you can try on their website so you better check it out.    

Weekend Snapshot: Sofia’s 6th Birthday Party