HEALTH CARE
The World's Best-Selling Medicine
Felix Hoffmann wanted to help his father What followed was one of the biggest success stories in business
Fighting Disease with Disease
A doctor in a farming community made a discovery that has saved millions of lives
Saved from Certain Death
Everyone expected Jeanna Giese to die, but one doctor did not give up
The World's Best-Selling Medicine
A People have different ways to stop pain Put a check(./) next to ways you stop a headache Share your answers with your classmates
1 put ice on your head
3 take aspirin take a medicine called " -
B Read the title of this chapter, look at the picture, and discuss the following questions
1 What do you think people did when they had a headache a thousand years ago? A hundred years ago?
2 Can you name a best-selling medicine?
3 What do you think the reading is going to be about?
Review the word lists and mark with a check {-1) the words you are familiar with and can use in a sentence Discuss your selections with a partner and look up any unfamiliar words in a dictionary for clarification.
(be in) pain patient pill prevent treat (v.)
Business company manager on the market produce ( v.)
The chart shows selected words from the reading related to health care, business, and the Academic Word List (AWL) For more information about the AWL see page 121
B Write the word from Part A next to its definition
1 The feeling when something hurts you: _
2 The person who controls a business or the workers:
3 To help someone who is sick: _ _
4 A medical condition with higher than normal body temperature:
6 An organization that sells goods or ser vices to make money:
7 Medicine that is not liquid You can pick it up and take it with water: -
8 To stop something from happening: _
10 Someone who goes to see a doctor: _
11 To make or create something: _
12 A person who does a study to learn more about something:
Chapter 1 The World's Best-Selling Medicine 3 www.irLanguage.com
Preview the questions in Reading Check Part A on page 6 Then read the story
Thãe World's Best-Selling Medicine
Felix Hoffmann, a scientist, embarked on a journey to alleviate his father's pain, leading to one of the most remarkable success stories in the medical field His dedication to finding a solution not only transformed his father's life but also paved the way for significant advancements in medicine.
Since ancient times, willow trees have been utilized globally for pain relief due to their content of salicylic acid While effective in alleviating pain, salicylic acid can cause stomach discomfort In 1853, a French scientist developed a stomach-friendly willow mixture, but its complex preparation prevented him from producing or marketing it.
In 1897, Hoffmann in Germany created a salicylic acid mixture that he tested on himself before administering it to his father, resulting in pain relief without causing stomach discomfort.
Hoffmann, an employee at Bayer, a German pharmaceutical company, developed a new drug that proved effective during testing by his manager As a result, Bayer decided to produce the drug, branding it as aspirin and ensuring that the Bayer name was prominently displayed on each pill.
1 willow: a kind of tree with long branches that hang down
Aspirin quickly became a popular remedy due to its effectiveness in alleviating various types of pain and reducing fevers Its affordability and ease of use made it accessible to nearly everyone, solidifying its status as a wonder drug that addressed a genuine need in healthcare.
Initially, Bayer marketed aspirin through physicians, who prescribed it to patients In 1915, the company expanded its distribution by selling aspirin in drugstores Bayer held a patent for the drug in the United States.
Other companies could make similar products and sell them in other countries, but only B ay er could make and sell aspirin in the United
States In time, Bayer could no longer own the name aspirin in the
United States Other companies could make it there, too However,
Bayer aspirin was the most well known, and for many years, it was the market leader
By the 1950s, the market saw the introduction of new painkillers, moving beyond aspirin as the sole option for pain relief and fever reduction Pharmaceutical companies, including Bayer, began exploring alternative drugs However, a surprising discovery in the 1970s revealed that patients taking aspirin experienced fewer heart attacks British researcher John Vane identified the mechanism behind aspirin's heart-protective effects, earning the Nobel Prize in 1982 for his groundbreaking work Consequently, doctors began recommending daily aspirin intake to certain patients to help prevent heart attacks.
Aspirin has revitalized sales, with approximately 80 million doses consumed daily in the United States, making it the world's best-selling medicine Its widespread use has significantly improved the quality of life for countless individuals and generated substantial profits for companies like Bayer that manufacture and market it.
2 patent: a legal right to ownership of an invention
3 heart attack: a serious medical condition in which the heart does not get enough blood, often causing death
4 Nobel Prize: an international prize given each year to leaders in their fields
Chapter 1 The World's Best-Selling Medicine 5
A Are these statements true or false? Write T (true) or F (false)
1 Salicylic acid stops headache pain
2 Hoffmann was the manager of a drug company
3 People today take aspirin for many reasons
8 Circle the letter of the best answer irLanguage.com
1 Why was Felix Hoffmann looking for a painkiller? a His father was in pain b His company told him to do that c He wanted to make a lot of money
2 Why didn't the French scientist continue to make a medicine that stopped pain? a It didn't work well b It hurt the stomach c It was hard to make
3 Why did Bayer start making aspirin? a because Hoffmann was working for them b because it helped prevent heart attacks c because other companies were making aspirin
4 What does not describe aspirin? a effective b expensive c easy to find in drugstores
5 Bayer aspirin was a the only drug with the name "aspirin" b not sold in the United States c the only aspirin sold in drugstores in 1915
6 When new painkillers came on the market, what happened to aspirin? a Fewer people bought it. b Companies stopped selling it c Doctors sold it to patients
7 Some people take one aspirin a day because they don't want to a get a cold b have a heart attack c have a stomachache
8 Aspirin makes money for drug companies because a it cures diseases b it stops stomach pain c so many people use it
A Retell the story Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the box company patients fevers pill manager prevent on the market researcher pain similar
Felix Hoffmann's father was in a lot of , so
Hoffmann did research and developed a mixture with salicylic acid
Hoffmann informed his colleagues at Bayer about the successful development of a drug called aspirin, which effectively alleviated pain and reduced inflammation After thorough testing confirmed its efficacy, Bayer initially marketed aspirin exclusively through medical professionals.
Then they made it in the form of a fan and sold it in drugstores 5
By the 1950s, new painkillers came _
These new drugs were _ to aspirin Then a/ an
found that aspirin helped to _ _ heart attacks Doctors began to tell some of their to 9 take aspirin every day 10
B Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the word
1 What is the best way to _ a headache?
2 Aspirin was a very successful _ for Bayer
3 Bayer decided to _ Hoffmann's drug
4 What is the usual for a stomachache?
5 Scientists began to other uses for aspirin
Chapter 1 The World's Best-Selling Medicine 7
I Understanding the order of events in a reading means that you know what
/ happens first, second, third, and so on One way to check that you understand
� the order is to make a time line ããã
The timeline of aspirin's development begins with a French scientist who creates a painkiller from willow (c) This leads to Felix Hoffmann, who makes a painkiller from salicylic acid (f) and subsequently presents his new drug to his manager (g) Bayer then sells aspirin to doctors (d) and later markets aspirin pills directly to drugstores (e) Over time, other painkillers emerge to compete with Bayer (a), while John Vane's research reveals that aspirin can help prevent heart attacks (b).
B Are these statements T (true) or F (false)? Use information from your time line in Part A and the reading to help you
1 A French scientist made a painkiller before Felix Hoffmann
2 Felix Hoffmann made a painkiller more than one hundred years ago
3 Bayer sold aspirin through drugstores before they sold it through doctors
4 Bayer sold less aspirin in the 1950s and 1960s than in the 1930s and 1940s
5 John Vane discovered a new use for aspirin after he won the
Discuss the following questions in pairs or groups
1 What are some other common medical problems? How do you treat them?
2 Think of other medical products that have been successful What makes a successful medical product? Why?
3 What new drug or medical product would you invent? What would it do?
A Sometimes a disease moves quickly and affects a large group of people
One way that can happen is through the air List three other ways a disease can move through a large group of people Share your answers with your classmates
B Read the title of this chapter, look at the picture, and discuss the following questions
1 Have any diseases recently affected people where you live?
Do you know how the diseases started?
2 What year do you think it is in the picture? How do you think the picture relates to the subject of disease?
3 What do you think the reading is going to be about?
Chapter 2 F1ght1ng Disease with Disease 9
Review the word lists and mark the words you recognize with a check (✓) Discuss your selections with a partner, and make sure to look up any unfamiliar terms in a dictionary for better understanding.
(find a) cure epidemic immune system infection vaccine virus
Academic Word List challenge (n.) method
The chart shows selected words from the reading related to health care, history, and the Academic Word List (AWL) For more information about the AWL, see page 121
B Fill in the blanks with words from Part A
1 When most of the people in a city get sick, it is a/ an _ _
2 My mother was born in the 1960s
3 You should wash a cut so that you do not get a/ an _ _
4 A/An helps to prevent someone from getting a disease
5 The time between 1700 and 1799 is the 18th -
6 The doctor believed that the medicine would work, but it was only a/an He was not sure yet
7 Not all doctors do exactly the same thing Sometimes a doctor has a different for treating a disease
8 There was nothing doctors could do No one was able to find a/ an
9 A person who has a healthy will not get sick easily
10 A/ An -causes the common cold
11 It was a/an for doctors to find a way to help the patient
12 In the _ of the Internet, we often look online for medical information
Preview the questions in Reading Check Part A on page 13 Then read the story
Painting of Dr Jenner giving a vaccination
Cows have played a crucial role in human history for millennia, but many are unaware of their significant contribution to vaccine development Anyone vaccinated against diseases owes a debt of gratitude to cows and a pioneering English doctor from over 200 years ago.
In the late 1780s, a devastating smallpox epidemic swept through Europe, claiming thousands of lives This contagious disease spreads through human contact, initially presenting with a fever followed by the appearance of spots on the body, often leading to death.
Others have scars 1 on their faces and bodies for the rest of their lives
Famous doctors and scientists could not find a cure for smallpox
During that era, they were beginning to use scientific methods to do experiments, but they did not understand the body's immune system and the way it worked
Edward Jenner, a doctor in a small English village, sought to combat the deadly smallpox outbreak affecting his patients He diligently gathered information by asking questions and documenting details about the disease Engaging with local store owners, farmers, and teachers, Jenner collected valuable stories that informed his understanding of smallpox.
They said that people who caught a disease called cowpox did not get smallpox
Jenner decided to do scientific research on cowpox He learned that 4 people got cowpox from working with cows It was not dangerous and
1 scar: a mark left on the skin after an illness or injury