Paracetamol was first synthesized in 1877 (often dated 1877–1878), and then introduced into medical use a few years later, around 1887–1893.

Quick Scoop

  • The chemist Harmon Northrop Morse is usually credited with first making paracetamol in 1877 at Johns Hopkins University.
  • He produced it by reducing a compound called p‑nitrophenol in glacial acetic acid.
  • Paracetamol did not become widely used immediately; it began to be tried in humans around 1887 by Joseph von Mering, and its significance was recognized more clearly in the 1890s.

A bit of story

In the late 1800s, doctors were searching for safer fever and pain medicines than older drugs like acetanilide and phenacetin, which had serious side effects. In that context, Morse’s laboratory compound—paracetamol—eventually emerged as a safer option, and by the mid‑20th century it became one of the world’s go‑to over‑the‑counter pain and fever relievers.

TL;DR:
When people ask “when was paracetamol invented,” the commonly accepted answer is that it was first made in 1877, with medical use developing from the late 1880s onward.

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