You can call this the king of failures who would then become the king of success!
The starting point is a chemical called Acetanilide which was the first aniline derivative found to possess analgesic as well as antipyretic properties, and was quickly introduced into medical practice under the name of Antifebrin by Cahn & Hepp in 1886. But its unacceptable toxic effects—the most alarming being cyanosis due to methemoglobinemia prompted the search for curing everyones pain in a safer way!
Harmon Northrop Morse synthesized this drug at Johns Hopkins University via the reduction of p-nitrophenol with tin in glacial acetic acid in 1877, but it was not until 1887 that clinical pharmacologist Joseph von Mering tried it on humans.
In 1893, von Mering published a paper reporting on the clinical results of this product with phenacetin, another aniline derivative.
Von Mering claimed that, unlike phenacetin, this product had a slight tendency to produce methemoglobinemia. The product was then quickly discarded in favor of phenacetin. The sales of phenacetin established Bayer as a leading pharmaceutical company!
In 1947, David Lester and Leon Greenberg found strong evidence that the product was a major metabolite of acetanilide in human blood, and in a subsequent study they reported that large doses of the same given to albino rats did not cause methemoglobinemia!
So this was again marketed in the United States in 1950 under the name Triagesic, a combination with aspirin, and caffeine.
Then tragic reports in 1951 of three users stricken with the blood disease agranulocytosis led to its removal from the marketplace, and it took several years until it became clear that the disease was unconnected!
Finally, the product proved to be a safer and more effective alternative to its precursors! So much so that it is one of the most commonly used drugs for pain and fever! In fact it was the most commonly used medication in the treatment of even COVID! It was also the only medication actually needed most of the cases!
Until recently it was the only medication approved to be given even in pregnancy.
Though recently it has been advised to be given with precaution.
But still, the drug is given by most every health care provider and is usually safe! The first and only drug of choice in fever or pain or even a broken heart (may not work that well though in this case!)!
Technically it is called Acetaminophen with the chemically formula C8H9NO2!
You may know it as paracetamol!
For now do the best thing for pain! Rest and sleep!
Oh I forgot about the sketch! Reminds me of Gajini director A R Murugadoss!
Shubh ratri!
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