He retired in 1964 and died in NYC in 1970 at the age of 87. A Rube Goldberg competition is more than just thinking up goofy ways of doing easy jobs. Ask students to come up with some of their own designs based on a common theme such as a potato peeler or a toast butterer. Then hold your own Rube Goldberg competition where they actually try to put their designs to work. Pain killers belong to a group of drugs called analgesics which work by altering the chemistry of the body's nervous system to temporarily block pain.
Analgesics come in two major varieties.
Narcotics such as codeine and morphine work directly on the brain and central nervous system. They both work by latching onto specific receptor sites in the brain, not only blocking the sensation of pain, but causing a general feeling of euphoria. Because they are so powerful and extremely addictive, narcotics are only available by doctor's prescription. Instead of working in the brain itself, non-narcotics like aspirin and acetaminophen work to stop pain at the site of the affliction. Aspirin stops the production of chemicals called prostaglandins which sensitize the nerve endings to pain.