Askit Powders was a proprietary brand of headache cure sold primarily in the UK. The product combined

aspirin Aspirin () is the genericized trademark for acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions that aspirin is ...

, aloxiprin and

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine chemical classification, class and is the most commonly consumed Psychoactive drug, psychoactive substance globally. It is mainly used for its eugeroic (wakefulness pr ...

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History

In the 19th century, it was common for apothecaries to create their own combinations of drugs to combat specific ailments. Some sources credit the Swedish physician Herman Hjorton with creating the product under the name "Hjorton's Powders" in 1903, but it is noted that the main ingredient, phenacetin, had been available since 1887. In the

Cowlairs Cowlairs () is an area in the Scottish city of Glasgow, part of the wider Springburn district of the city. It is situated north of the River Clyde, between central Springburn to the east and Possilpark to the west. Administratively, in the 21 ...

district of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

one such apothecary, named Adam Laidlaw, had a premises on Keppochhill Road. He devised a mix of

phenacetin Phenacetin (; acetophenetidin, ''N''-(4-ethoxyphenyl)acetamide) is a pain-relieving and fever-reducing drug, which was widely used following its introduction in 1887. It was withdrawn from medicinal use as dangerous from the 1970s (e.g., withdra ...

and

to combat colds, headaches and many other problems: a true

panacea In Greek mythology and religion, Panacea (Greek ''Πανάκεια'', Panakeia), a goddess of universal remedy, was the daughter of Asclepius and Epione. Mythology Panacea and her four sisters each performed a facet of Apollo's art: * Panac ...

. By 1900, he was selling an average of 450 to 500 powders per week, and had obtained a fame somewhat wider than the natural catchment area of his pharmacy. In 1917, he asked a local accountant, John McRobbie, for advice on setting up a company to start making the powder in greater quantities. By 1920, this materialised into a mechanised factory, but the product had no name other than "Mr Laidlaw's Powders". The name is said to derive from two girls coming into the shop around 1920 and saying to the person serving in the apothecary: "if it is the lady chemist I'll ask it: if it is the man chemist you ask it". This name quickly allows the logo "Ask for Askit". Mrs Laidlaw heard the words and related her idea to her husband. It was registered the next day, and added as the name of their purpose-built factory on Saracen Street in the

Possilpark Possilpark, colloquially known as Possil,Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. By 1945 production stood at 20 million per year. By the 1960s the powders were available across most of the

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire The B ...

. Marketing also included making the powders available from ice cream vans from the 1960s onwards. In 1966,

was substituted with aloxiprin due to several cases linking it to kidney failure. It was also acknowledged that the product was somewhat addictive, echoed in their logo "Askit fights the miseries". Heavily addicted individuals in the pre-66 formula risked kidney failure. In 1971, they began a simple and effective TV advertising campaign: Askit Fights the Miseries, featuring characters such as the sore back, and morning after. These cartoons were drawn by

Roger Hargreaves Roger Hargreaves (9 May 1935 – 11 September 1988) was a British cartoonist, illustrator and writer of children's books. He created the ''Mr. Men'' series, ''Mr. Men#"Little Miss" series, Little Miss'' series and ''Timbuctoo'' series, intended ...

who later gained fame in the creation of the

Mr Men ''Mr. Men'' is a British series of children's books and media franchise written and illustrated by English author Roger Hargreaves which began publication in August 1971. From 1981, an accompanying series of Little Miss books by the same aut ...

. This advertising campaign was one of the longest-running and most successful in British advertising history: running the same format until 1994. In 1997, a new campaign began featuring a man with a bulbous nose simply known as the "Wee Man" (a very Glaswegian character). The factory left Saracen Street and moved to

Cumbernauld Cumbernauld (; ) is a large town in the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Dunbartonshire and council area of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the tenth List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, most-populous locality in Scotl ...

. The old premises is occupied by a printing firm, Gavin Watson. In 2005, the product name was bought by

Bayer Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer' ...

PLC from the then owner Roche, and it ceased production in 2012.

References

{{Authority control Scottish brands Scottish inventions Headaches Analgesics