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Arthur Eichengrün
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=== Aspirin === Eichengrün has made his name through numerous inventions, such as processes for synthesizing chemical compounds. Aside from Aspirin, Eichengrün held 47 patents. Bayer's official story credits [[Felix Hoffmann]], a young Bayer chemist, with the invention of aspirin in 1897. Impure [[acetylsalicylic acid]] (ASA, the active compound of aspirin) had been synthesized already in 1853 by [[France|French]] chemist [[Charles Frédéric Gerhardt]]; the 1897 process developed at Bayer was the first to produce pure ASA that could be used for medical purposes. Due to the rise of the Nazis in Germany, Eichengrün was unable to object when Hoffmann first made the claim that ''he'' (Hoffman) invented aspirin, in the footnote of a 1934 German Encyclopedia. Hoffmann's claim was once widely accepted, but many historians now consider it to be discredited. Eichengrün first claimed to have invented aspirin in a 1944 letter from [[Theresienstadt concentration camp]], addressed to [[IG Farben]] (of which Bayer was a part), where he cited his many contributions to the company (which was [[IG Farben Trial|highly influential]] in the concentration camps), including the invention of aspirin, as reasons for why he should be released. Five years later, Arthur Eichengrün published a paper in [[Die Pharmazie|Pharmazie]] in 1949, where he explained that he had instructed Hoffmann to synthesise acetylsalicylic acid and that the latter had done so without knowing the purpose of the work. The paper elucidated how he planned and directed the synthesis of aspirin along with the synthesis of several related compounds, describing these events in detail. He also claimed to be responsible for aspirin's initial surreptitious clinical testing.<ref name="Distillations"/> Finally, he explained that Hoffmann's role was restricted to the initial lab synthesis using his (Eichengrün's) process and nothing more.<ref>Eichengrün A. ''50 Jahre Aspirin''. Pharmazie 1949;'''4''':582-4. (in [[German language|German]])</ref> Eichengrün's account was largely ignored by historians and chemists until 1999, when Walter Sneader of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the [[University of Strathclyde]] in [[Glasgow]] re-examined the case and came to the conclusion that indeed Eichengrün's account was convincing and correct and that Eichengrün deserved credit for the invention of aspirin.<ref name="Sneader">{{cite journal | last1 = Sneader | first1 = W | title = The discovery of aspirin: a reappraisal | journal = BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) | volume = 321 | issue = 7276 | pages = 1591–1594 | year = 2000 | pmid = 11124191 | pmc = 1119266 | doi=10.1136/bmj.321.7276.1591}}</ref> Bayer denied this in a press release, asserting that the invention of aspirin was due to Hoffmann.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-07-14 |title=Bayer AG: Zum Vortrag von Dr. Walter Sneader über die Entwicklung der… |url=https://archive.today/20070714003821/http://www.medizin-2000.de/pharma-presse/presseerklaerungen/texte/pharma_medikamente/bayer/bayer_110999.html#selection-327.0-395.351 |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=archive.ph}}</ref> ;Evidence supporting Eichengrün's claims to the invention Walter Sneader based his claims that Eichengrün both invented the process for synthesizing aspirin and oversaw its clinical testing on old and newly released archived materials, including letters, patents, and lab work. He found that Hoffmann was not credited with inventing the process for synthesizing Aspirin in any documents prior to 1934, 37 years after its initial synthesis. Further he found reason to doubt the footnote's credibility, not just for being published during the "Aryanization" period of Nazi Germany, but for its inaccurate claims about the testing of salicylic acid derivates other than acetyl ester. The vague reference did not specify which derivatives were tested, but claimed they had been discovered earlier but had been synthesized for "other purposes".<ref>Schmidt A. Die industrielle Chemie in ihrer Bedeutung im Wetbild und Errinnerungen an ihren Aufban. Berlin: De Greuter; 1934. p. 775.</ref> No indication was given of what the others were, but in 1899 Heinrich Dreser, head of the experimental pharmacology laboratory at Elberfeld, named them in a publication as propionyl, butyryl, valeryl, and benzoyl salicylic acids.<ref>. Dreser H. Pharmakologisches über aspirin (Acetylsalicylsäure) Pflügers Arch. 1899;76:306–318; https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01662127</ref> He further alluded to these derivatives in 1907<ref>Bayer-Archiv. Pharmakologisches Labor Elberfeld. 103/12.1. Prof Dreser, 27.07.1907. Die pharmakologische Laboratorium der Farbenfabriken, pp 6-7. </ref> and again in 1918.<ref>Dreser H. Geschichte und Entwicklung der Farbenfabriken vorm Friedr Bayer & Co, Elberfield, in den ersten 50 Jahren. Munich: Meisenbach-Riffrath; 1918. Das pharmakologische Laboratorium der Farbenfabriken; pp. 419–424.</ref> However, the assertion that these salicylic acid derivates had been synthesized for non-therapeutic reasons is demonstrably false. Hoffmann's colleague Otto Bonhoeffer (who also worked under Eichengrün) had been awarded a US and UK patent in 1900 for several of these compounds.<ref>Bonhoeffer O. The manufacture or production of acidyl salicylic acids. British Patent 9123, 3 March 1900</ref><ref>Bonhoeffer O. Propionyl-salicylic acid and process of making same. US Patent 656435, 21 August 1900</ref> The patents indicate that the derivatives were prepared for the exact purpose of finding a salicylic acid derivative with therapeutic value. Sneader concluded that because of this error the 1934 footnote is unreliable. However Bayer dismissed Sneader claims asserting Hoffman invention of the Aspirin. According to Bayer, Hoffmann and Eichengrün were colleagues of equal standing at Bayer, not in a hierarchical relationship. This undermines Sneader's claim that Hoffmann worked under Eichengrün's direction. Numerous documents, including Hoffmann's laboratory journal entry from August 10, 1897, explicitly record his synthesis of ASA, providing clear evidence of his role in this pivotal discovery. Additionally, Hoffmann is recognized as the inventor in the American patent for ASA, filed in 1899. Notably, Eichengrün never contested this acknowledgment during his tenure at Bayer, further solidifying Hoffmann’s claim to the invention. Eichengrün’s assertions lack timely credibility, as he did not claim credit for the synthesis until 1949—more than 50 years after Hoffmann's documented work. This delay raises questions about the validity of his late claims to authorship. Furthermore, the narrative suggesting that Eichengrün's Jewish background led to the suppression of his contributions lacks substantive evidence. Throughout his career, Eichengrün was a successful inventor with numerous patents and never demanded recognition for ASA during his time at Bayer.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-07-14 |title=Bayer AG: Zum Vortrag von Dr. Walter Sneader über die Entwicklung der… |url=https://archive.today/20070714003821/http://www.medizin-2000.de/pharma-presse/presseerklaerungen/texte/pharma_medikamente/bayer/bayer_110999.html#selection-327.0-395.351 |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=archive.ph}}</ref>
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