During his life, Alexander Fleming greatly changed the world’s view and knowledge of antibiotics and antiseptics. Alexander Fleming was born on August 6, 1881, and died on March 11, 1955 of an unexpected heart attack. From 1903 to 1906, Alexander Fleming attended Saint Mary’s Hospital Medical School. While in school, Fleming received qualifications as a surgeon, but his interests later changed towards bacteriology, after he returned from World War I. Fleming served as a medical officer in the Royal Army Medical Corp., in France during World War I. While he was in France, Fleming experienced the horrors of battlefield hospitals and all of the sickness, disease and death associated with them. Fleming noticed how the methods that were being used did more harm then good, and killed the wounded rather than help them heal. After experiencing all of this, Fleming began to consider a career researching and experimenting with bacteria to help discover better medical treatment techniques. After the war ended, Fleming returned to Saint Mary’s Hospital and began experimenting with bacteria. In the next few decades, he would discover disease killers that would impact the world. Alexander Fleming revolutionized medical practice and care, saving countless lives, through his discovery and development of antibiotics and antiseptics.
While working in his lab in England, Fleming made a very important medical and scientific discovery. In 1922 while sick, Fleming decided to test if mucus, a body’s self defense against infection, had any affect on bacteria. Fleming put some mucus in a petri dish with a culture of bacteria. Over the next few weeks, the mucus dissolved the bacteria. Fleming had discovered an enzyme in the mucus that had killed the b...
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...ct of medical research because of penicillin. Penicillin and Lysozyme revolutionized medical practice and care because they were the essence of a new aspect of medical treatment and because they lowered the death percentage chance of certain diseases.
Works Cited
1. “What Is Penicillin?” Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.
2. “Fleming Discovers Penicillin.” PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
3. “Alexander Fleming.” Homepage of the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Chemical Heritage, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.
4. "Banquet Speech." Alexander Fleming. Ed. Arne Holmber. Les Prix Nobel, 1945. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
5. Hunter, M. I., and D. Thirkell. "Effect of Lysozyme Treatment." Journal of Bacteriology. American Society for Microbiology, 17 July 1973. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
6. "Sir Alexander Fleming." Encyclopedia Americana. 1829. Print.
This was a factor that was based on chance, as the penicillin (mould) had probably blown through a window. In my opinion Fleming didn't have much do to with the development of Penicillin, but he did recognise its importance and published his findings. Florey and Chain were scientists. They stumbled across Fleming's research papers and were intrigued by his findings. They were sure that, if Fleming was right, this discovery could save a lot of lives, prevent pain and make it much easier to fight infectious diseases and prevent other infections.
middle of paper ... ... The Web. 22 Feb. 2014. http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/chemistry-in-history>.
There is no doubt that these events have improved and advanced the science of medicine as a whole and that lives have been improved and saved through the availability of healthcare within the system that has been created. The introduction and availability of antibiotics alone has restored to good health countless individuals who in the century before would have certainly died from bacterial infection.
Medical procedures and inventions are constantly being developed and made better. World War 1 was a time in which many of the procedures used today were first thought of and used. It was a time that inspired the doctors and nurses working today, not to mention the fact that it’s a topic that still affects everyone in the world today. Medical advancements made during World War 1 had a major impact on the world as evidenced by those advancements still in use today.
Fleming reasoned that the fact that it killed the bacteria in the lab, that it could also be used to kill bacteria in humans, but after attempting and failing to grow more penicillin, he eventually gave up on the idea.
Before WWI, the practice of medicine was far from how it has developed into today. The practice was not advanced, and therefore, had few concrete methods. However, with the beginning of the First World War, there was a great push to improve these methods. Although the war caused much illness and death, it also catalyzed many improvements such as blood transfusions, x-rays, vaccines, and sanitation.
The Nobel Acceptance Speech delivered by Elie Wiesel in Oslo on December 10, 1986. n. pag. Web. 17 Jan., 2014.
Sproul, Allan. "The Gold Question." Vital Speeches of the Day 16.4 (1949): 108. Academic Search
This chemistry book report is focus on a book called “Napoleon's buttons: How 17 molecules changed history” by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson. The publisher of this book is Tarcher Putnam, the book was published in Canada on 2003 with 17 chapters (hey the number match the title of the book!) and a total of 378 pages. The genre of this book is nonfiction. “Napoleon's Buttons” contain a fascinating story of seventeen groups of molecules that have greatly changed the course of history and continuing affect the world we live in today. It also reveal the astonishing chemical connection among some unrelated events, for example: Chemistry caused New Amsterdamers to be renamed New Yorkers and one little accident of detonating cotton apron in a minor housekeeping mishap lead to the development of modern explosives and the founding of the movie industry.
Penicillin, derived from the mold Penicillium, is the first antibiotic to successfully treat bacterial infections on humans. It was accidentally discovered by scientist, Alexander Fleming. While Fleming was growing Staphylococcus, a serious and often deadly infection, in a dish, he noticed the bacteria had stopped growing after a mold found its way
So one major investment in the 1920's to science was Medicine. In 1921 two Canadian scientists made a medicine called Insulin. Insulin helped people suffering from diabetes which made the world a healthier place. Then in 1928 Alexander Fleming found a mold that could kill certain types of bacteria. This mold became...
Alexander Fleming started the history of antibiotics in the 1920's with his discovery of penicillin.When penicillin was first discovered and used widely, it was touted as a wonder drug, and consequently was used as one.Though not necessarily harmful to the patient penicillin was used for much more infections than it was able to combat.Today the same practice is observed in the medical profession, however at this point it is due more to the detriment of an uneducated public.Studies have been carried out that show the huge over usage of antibiotics.In the seventies Soyka et al, concluded, "60% of physicians surveyed gave antibiotics for the treatment of the common cold."[3], and by common knowledge the common cold is a virus, something that cannot be treated by an antibiotic.Nyquist
The German bacteriologist Paul Ehrlich made important advances to the world of medicine. He is best remembered for his development of the arsenic compound number 606, which was used as a treatment of syphilis. As a Nobel Prize Winner and an honored scientist, fellow scientists and doctors praise Paul Ehrlich for his contributions. Ehrlich led a wonderful and intriguing life, which is greatly admired.
At his Nobel Peace Prize speech in 1945, Alexander Fleming warned against the misuse of antibiotics and the fact that by doing this, one allows the bacteria to ‘become educated’ and therefore become resistant to the antibiotic. It is believed that the first cases of antibiotic resistance were shortly after this speech. (Fleming, 1945)
Melchert, Norman. The Great Conversation: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy. 4th ed. Toronto: McGraw Hill Companies, 2002.