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June 23 - August 2, 2025

Take Two and Call Me in the Morning: The Story of Aspirin Revisited
 

Guest curated by Anne Rothfeld, PhD (National Library of Medicine), this traveling banner exhibition and companion website examine how modern      organic chemistry and technology isolated, then synthesized nature’s properties into a medication now common worldwide.

For centuries, people used willow bark to relieve pain and treat fevers. However, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that scientists developed an analog of the active ingredient in willow bark, creating the essential drug that’s now part of everyday life, aspirin. By the latter half of the 20th century, scientists had begun examining aspirin for benefits beyond pain relief and fever reduction. The Story of Aspirin Revisited expands on the content of a 1959 NLM exhibition about the same topic.
 

The National Library of Medicine produced this exhibition and companion website.