Drugstore clerk removes Tylenol capsules from the shelves
of a pharmacy in New York City after reports of tampering.

On September 29, 1982, three Chicago area residents became ill
and died after ingesting Extra-Strength Tylenol later found to be poisoned with cyanide. They were the first of seven victims to
lose their lives after taking the over-the-counter pain reliever,
which had been tampered with. The case would create a national
panic over the safety of nonprescription medications and lead to
new standards for pill packaging.

Seventh grader Mary Ann Kellerman was the first to die after
taking the medicine overnight to combat a sore throat.

A foil safety seal that became standard on all over-the-
counter medications after the 1982 Tylenol murders.

James Lewis was 76 when he died in 2023. According to
police, his death did not appear suspicious.

Lewis was the only person law enforcement targeted as a suspect
for more than 40 years.

On March 26, 1953, American medical researcher Dr. Jonas Salk announces on a national radio show that he has successfully
tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, the virus that causes the
crippling disease of polio.

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in
the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace
on December 10, 1901.

Swedish chemist Alfred Bernhard Nobel
(21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896)

Felix Hoffmann
(21 January 1868 – 8 February 1946)

The German company Bayer patents aspirin on March 6, 1899.
Now the most common drug in household medicine cabinets, acetylsalicylic acid was originally made from a chemical found
in the bark of willow trees. In its primitive form, the active
ingredient, salicin, was used for centuries in folk medicine,
beginning in ancient Greece when Hippocrates used it to relieve
pain and fever. Known to doctors since the mid-19th century, it
was used sparingly due to its unpleasant taste and tendency to
damage the stomach.

In 1897, Bayer employee Felix Hoffmann found a way to create a
stable form of the drug that was easier and more pleasant to take.
(Some evidence shows that Hoffmann’s work was really done by
a Jewish chemist, Arthur Eichengrun, whose contributions were
covered up during the Nazi era.)

Sir Alexander Fleming  (August 6, 1881 – March 11, 1955)

Sir Alexander Fleming (above) was a young bacteriologist when
an accidental discovery led to one of the great developments
of modern medicine on September 28, 1928. Having left a plate
of staphylococcus bacteria uncovered, Fleming noticed that
a mold that had fallen on the culture had killed many of the
bacteria. He identified the mold as penicillium notatum,
similar to the kind found on bread.

In 1929, Fleming introduced his mold by-product called
penicillin to cure bacterial infections.