Visit the traveling exhibit at the Shimberg Health Sciences Library

August 18, 2025-Septmeber 25, 2025

Today, aspirin is a ubiquitous remedy for a constellation of ailments but that wasn’t always the case. For centuries, people used willow bark to relieve pain and treat fevers. However, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that scientists developed an equivalent of the active ingredient in willow bark, creating the essential drug that’s now part of everyday life. Take Two and Call Me in the Morning examines how modern organic chemistry and technology isolated, then synthesized nature’s properties into a medication now common worldwide.

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

Guest Curator: Anne Rothfeld, PhD
Designer: HealyKohler Design