That Headache Pal

Aspirin, invented 100 years ago in Germany by Felix Hoffman, has become a wonder drug, curing headaches, reducing fever and even helping to reduce the chance of strokes and heart attacks in some people. It became the first mass-produced and mass-marketed drug, according to Steven M. Weisman, director of medical and clinical affairs at the Bayer Corp. consumer care division. At a time when the only other major drugs were heroin, morphine and quinine, Weisman said, aspirin quickly became No. 1 worldwide. Today, up to 29 billion pills are popped annually in the United States alone.