In 1948, warfarin came into large-scale commercial use in the United States as a rodenticide. Developed from coumarin research at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, it was designed to cause fatal bleeding in pests. Within a few years, the same compound would be reinterpreted as a human medicine.

The commercialization of warfarin as a rodenticide in 1948 tells a powerful cultural story about transformation. Poets often explore how context alters meaning, mirroring the journey of a feared substance becoming a source of life, thus enriching the narrative of survival.