Pharmacology historical perspective

No historical perspective of natural product derived drugs would be complete without a discussion of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid)—probably the most widely utilised drug of all time when the numbers of tablets consumed worldwide on an annual basis are considered. Even today, where presumably the major pharmacological effect is modulation of the cyclooxygenase isoforms, its full activity is still not fully defined. 

The review provides an overview of the chemistry and pharmacology of the most relevant and investigated compounds, contrasting the current biomedical knowledge with the concepts and practices in the XVI century medicine. The authors use historical materials in combination with phytochemistry and pharmacology to provide an incentive to the new generation of natural product scientists to maintain a broad perspective in their field of scientific inquiry. Also to the young scientists is our hope is to convey appreciation and historical perspective of science and cultural diversity. 

Many factors have contributed to the decline in cardiovascular-related mortality over the past quarter century, including lifestyle modifications, the development of multiple new drug categories, the introduction and subsequent dramatic improvements in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), cardiac transplantation, and advances in electrophysiology and implantable devices. One of the more important new treatments is reperfusion therapy for patients with evolving acute myocardial infarction (AMI), which has now become the standard of care for these individuals. This chapter will review selected major developments in historical perspective that led to the widespread application of pharmacological reperfusion therapy for the treatment of AMI (Fig. 2.1). 

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