Penicillin Research Paper

Austin Faw

What is penicillin

Penicillin by definition is an antibiotic produced by a blue mold that will sometimes grow on trees but it can also be made synthetically

Penicillin is important because it defeated smallpox which killed over 300 million people, without any antibiotics you had 60% chance of surviving. Today penicillin is one of the most used medicine out their and led to today's advancements in medical science.

The Discovery

Alexander fleming was suffering from a terrible cold.

He decided to culture his mucus,the petri dish became contaminated by microorganisms, either from laboratory dust or wind from outside.

Two weeks later, fleming noticed that one of the mucus had grown golden bacteria. They did not grow everywhere,

Testing this diluted form,he discovered it would still kill bacteria when it was only 1/500 of it's original strength.

Fleming eventually identified the mold as one of a well known group of brush shaped organisms called penicillium, from the latin word for firn paintbrush . this type showed that it had bacteria killing properties he decided to call it penicillin.

As with lysozyme, flemming tried to find where else penicillin could be found, testing molds from decayed food, rags, and old boots.

Meanwhile, the original penicillin was tested for harmful side effects on mice rabbits, and a human volunteer -- flemings assistant,stuart craddock.

Fleming was revived to find none.

Unfortunately , it proved difficult to keep penicillin active long enough to try it out as a treatment for actual patients.

It's bacteria killing powers faded after a few days, and fleming was not a good enough chemist to stabilize it, which would later be done by howard