Aspirin

For over sixty years, American advertisements have proclaimed the wonders of our drugs. They claim to cure a variety of ills. One accepted cure for pain is aspirin. What exactly is aspirin? Aspirin is a white, crystalline compound which has the chemical formula CH3COOC6H4COOH. It comes from salicylic acid. It can be used to alleviate fever symptoms and inflammation, but its main use is to block sensations of pain.

This drug has harmful side effects for children, but has been shown to relieve pain in adults without dangerous side effects. Like other drugs, its sale is regulated. In the United States, aspirin is a legal drug that a person doesn't require a prescription for. Some people think that Americans use too many drugs, and build up tolerance to chemicals that they may need in emergency situations. They may use the drug to alleviate the symptoms of a health problem that really should be cured instead.

This particular package of aspirin claims to be "Pure Aspirin," which indicates that people worried about the quality of their medical products, perhaps unnecessarily. Our modern aspirin compounds frequently include other chemicals, such as caffeine, to increase the rate at which the aspirin gets absorbed.

Finish up with the Conclusion

Go back to the index to Project 4

Neil Zuckerman