History
It was known from the time of its discovery in 1847 that the tasting or close handling of nitroglycerin could cause sudden intense headaches, which indicated some form of vasodilation effect. Following Doctor Thomas Brunton's discovery that amyl nitrite could be used to treat chest pain, Doctor William Murrell experimented with the use of nitroglycerin to alleviate angina pectoris and reduce blood pressure, and proved that the headaches occurred due to overdose. He began treating patients with small doses in 1878, and the substance was soon adopted into widespread use after he published his results in The Lancet in 1879. The medical establishment used the name "glyceryl trinitrate" or "trinitrin" to avoid alarming patients who associated nitroglycerin with explosions.
Read more about this topic: Glyceryl Trinitrate (pharmacology)
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