I’ve chosen the year 1838 inspired by my favourite tree on the University of Salford’s Peel Park Campus, the willow (Salix sp).
The willow tree has long been used as a natural remedy – Hippocrates himself advocated for the use of willow tree bark to reduce fever and relieve pain. It wasn’t until 1838 when Raffaele Piria managed to isolate a potent compound from the willow which he called salicylic acid, that was widely used as a pain reliever and fever reducer.
Further research and discoveries led to what we now know as Aspirin, which continues to be used as a pain reliever as well as to prevent cardiovascular disease and stroke. Although we no longer depend on the willow to make Aspirin, willow bark remains a valued remedy in natural medicine.
The tree itself also offers a quiet kind of comfort—its long, slender branches drape like green curtains, swaying gently with the breeze, while its leaves catch the light and shimmer softly, as if reflecting the calm it brings.