Bayer aspirin and advertising

Riddle Me This

I’ve got a brain-teaser for you.

Bayer Aspirin is running an advertisement that claims no other
aspirin brand has prevented more heart attacks than Bayer.

Now here’s the brain-teaser: Just how do you measure heart attacks
that have been prevented? That’s like estimating the number of
earthquakes California HASN’T had.

This riddle is really a trick question. I’m guessing the logic goes
like this: In 1900, Bayer became the first aspirin available in tablet
form. Since then, Bayer has sold more aspirin than any other drug
company. So theoretically, no other aspirin has done more of
anything than Bayer Aspirin has.

Based on that logic, Bayer might also claim that no other aspirin
has prevented more terrorist attacks, or sold more cars, or won
more Olympic medals than Bayer has.

Sadly, using even that logic, I can’t say I’ve won more Olympic
medals than any other Jenny Thompson.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute