Penicillin, a type of mold developed into a widely used antibiotic, was accidentally discovered in the 1900s and refined into the commonplace drug used around the world today. Many events have contributed to the discovery and development of penicillin, including the accidental discovery in a lab, the development of penicillin for medical use, and a way to mass produce penicillin at an affordable price. Penicillin was first discovered in 1928 when Alexander Fleming, a bacteriologist, returned home after a vacation and found a rare spore named Penicillium Notatum which had bacteria killing properties. Fleming had left his workplace in a mess before he went on vacation, so all of his petri dishes seemed to be contaminated when he returned. …show more content…
Florey and Chain began investigating the medicinal uses of Penicillin in 1938 because of World War 2. In the text, “Discovery of Penicillin: The True Story”, Connors states, “Part of the reason for their increased effort in discovering how penicillin could be used on humans was that a drug was needed to reduce bacterial infections in soldiers’ wounds. When they finally determined a way for penicillin to be safely administered to humans, the drug was mass-produced and used on the war front. It saved many lives.” Florey and Chain found a successful way to administer the drug to humans and mass-produced it to help wounded soldiers in the war effort. Also, they were able to find the potential of penicillin as a medicine. As a result of Florey and Chain’s research and development of penicillin as a medicine, the production and usage of the drug …show more content…
Andrew J. Moyer and Dr. Heatly were able to find a method to mass-produce penicillin and make it available to more people. In the early 1940s, Dr. Moyer and Dr. Heatly succeeded in producing penicillin on a large scale. Their hard work in November 26, 1941, increased, “the yields of penicillin 10 times” (Bellis). Together, Dr. Moyer and Dr. Heatly were able to greatly increase the production speed and volume of penicillin. Because of Moyer and Heatly’s efforts, penicillin became available to all who needed it from young to old, and the prices dropped drastically. As mentioned by Brittany Connors, “...the drug was mass-produced and used on the war front. It saved many lives.” After the mass production of penicillin, it was able to be used on soldiers to kill bacteria in exposed wounds. The availability of penicillin helped save many lives during the war, saving many soldiers from death. The hard work of Dr. Andrew J. Moyer and Dr. Heatly made the mass production and use of penicillin possible for all who needed
The improvement of medicine over the course of the human successes gave great convenience to the people of today. Science has cured and prevented many illnesses from occurring and is on its way to cure some of the most dreadful and harmful illnesses. As the world modernizes due to the industrialization, so does the ways of medicine. Some cures are approached by chance, some, through intense, scientific measures.
The Factor of War in the Development of Penicillin The discovery, development and subsequent use of penicillin can be considered to be one of the most important breakthroughs in medical history. There were many factors, which were involved in the development of penicillin, and it could be argued that war was the most important, but other factors were also responsible. Alexander Fleming was working in London as a bacteriologist in 1928 when he noticed that a growth of a mould called penicillin produced a substance that actually killed the germs he was working on. He realised that this might be very important and a year later he wrote an article about his findings. However, Fleming did not have the facilities or the support to develop and test his idea that penicillin could fight infection, and he didn't develop it further.
Adegoke AA, Tom M, Okoh AI, Jacob S (2010) Studies on multiple antibiotic resistant bacterial isolated from surgical site infection. Scient Res. Essays 5:3876-81.
Did you know there was a time where infectious diseases like the common cold could kill you and your family? This was the elizabethan era probably the last time where sickness became the “grimm reaper” before modern medical advancements. With infectious diseases spreading and killing so many people doctors became desperate. Because these doctors knew very little about medicine, they were completely willing to try experimental treatments on their patients (Alchin). Sadly just about anybody with an infectious disease died. All the knowledge these doctors knew were based on: Humours, what brain function each internal organ controls, and how to protect themselves from it.
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.
Years later other scientists were also intrigued by the possibilities of penicillin and produced enough penicillin to prove that it was a useable antibiotic. The scientists from Great Britain were developing all of this during World War II, and unfortunately funding for their drug was unavailable due to the war. They decided to bring their concepts to the United States, and once enough was made, it was eventually used, to treat wounded soldiers during World War I.
The natural components of antibiotics have been used as local remedies long before humans understood the reasons why these sometimes-radical treatments worked. Penicillin became the first manufactured antibiotic after physician Alexander Fleming published articles regarding this bacteria-disabling mold in 1928. Come 1932, penicillin was commonly used to treat infected war injuries, saving the lives of unnumbered soldiers (Lewis). Since then, penicillin has b...
Bandages have been a part of history since ancient times. In ancient Egypt, honey was used to heal wounds, and in ancient Greece, they used a mixture of vinegar and fig leaves. And in more recent years we used bandages made of gauze, and attached them with adhesive tape. This process was a hassle, so, in 1920, one couple created the solution, an adhesive bandage that can now be found in almost every house, school, or office.
Since the dawn of man, humans have dreaded the suffering caused by injuries and disease. For our benefit, we have enhanced the practices of Medicine and its techniques, but before such ideas existed; the risk of recovery was extremely traumatic and at times fatal. We have abandoned several of the medical procedures used in ancient times since intrepid scientists and physicians sought methods. Although medicine was not always a science, instead it was magic, thus god were trusted for a few techniques more than actual logic. Therefore, the history of medicine has been disturbing and dangerous, but a good number of its practices today used in a more modern way, is quite beneficial to humanity.
of medicine. Born on the island of Kos, Greece in the year 460 b.c., says the
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
The contributions of several doctors, researchers, and scientists helped improve the health of the growing population. In 1850 the average life expectancy was 42 years. By 1910 the average life expectancy had risen to nearly 55 years. Between 1850 and 1910 there were several advances in the medical field. The introduction of genes, white blood cells, blood groups, insulin, rubber gloves, aspirin, and vitamins and the discoveries of Pasteur, Charcot, Halsted, Zirm, Lister, and Koch were the starting point of an international fight against disease.
Discovery and Development of Penicillin. (2014, April 4). Retrieved from American Chemical Society International Historic Chemical Landmarks: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html
Thesis: With the advent of antibiotics in 1929 Fleming said, "The time may come when penicillin can be bought by anyone in the shops.Then there is the danger that the ignorant man may easily underdose himself and by exposing his microbes to non-lethal quantities of the drug make them resistant."With the overuse of antibiotics today we have seen this very idea come to be.Over usage is caused most prevalently by a lack of education on the part of the patient.Thus stated, the way to overcome such a circumstance is to educate, not only the patient but also the physician.
The discovery of antibiotics is attributed to Alexander Fleming who discovered the first antibiotic to be commercially used (Penicillin) in approximately 1928. An antibiotic, also known as an antimicrobial, is a medication that is taken in order to either destroy or slow the growth rate of bacteria. Antibiotics are integral to the success of many medical practises, such as; surgical procedures, organ transplants, the treatment of cancer and the treatment of the critically ill. (Ramanan Laxminarayan, 2013)