Discovery of Antibiotics
Discovery of Antibiotics
“Penicillin”
As we know, the 19th and 20th centuries were among some of the most drastic years the United States experienced. While we often look at it as a time of bad and wrong decisions, there were many positive things that came from them. The most prominent of them were the number of discoveries and inventions that took place and were of great benefits then and now. One of those was the discovery of antibiotics in 1928, by Dr. Alexander Fleming. Before this discovery people were prone to die due to minor wounds that became infected, or diseases that could not be treated. Dr. Alexander Fleming was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist. He actually mistakenly discovered the antibiotic, penicillin. The discovery took place at St. Mary’s Hospital, in London, when Fleming was conducting research on a pathogenic bacterium. He noticed after leaving the bacteria unattended for a while, that a species of Penicillium had began to grow on it, and he went on from there. He continued running test on this mysterious mold to come to the conclusion that it was in fact fighting away the harmful bacteria. While Fleming’s discovery was well worth the while, it was missing one key element- it didn’t last very long. It wasn’t until twelve years later when there was a found solution to the problem. Researchers at Oxford University actually figured out that using a brown powder they had produced, they found that the antibacterial powder actually lasted longer and was still safe. So with the rise of World War ll, there was a major need for this drug. During this time there was a tremendous amount of penicillin being produced. Without the discovery of this drug, many lives would have been lost during the war. It helped fight infections in various types of wounds that would have otherwise killed the men at war. It also treated some of the major diseases of the time like syphilis and tuberculosis. All together this was a great discovery. It helped
“Penicillin”
As we know, the 19th and 20th centuries were among some of the most drastic years the United States experienced. While we often look at it as a time of bad and wrong decisions, there were many positive things that came from them. The most prominent of them were the number of discoveries and inventions that took place and were of great benefits then and now. One of those was the discovery of antibiotics in 1928, by Dr. Alexander Fleming. Before this discovery people were prone to die due to minor wounds that became infected, or diseases that could not be treated. Dr. Alexander Fleming was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist. He actually mistakenly discovered the antibiotic, penicillin. The discovery took place at St. Mary’s Hospital, in London, when Fleming was conducting research on a pathogenic bacterium. He noticed after leaving the bacteria unattended for a while, that a species of Penicillium had began to grow on it, and he went on from there. He continued running test on this mysterious mold to come to the conclusion that it was in fact fighting away the harmful bacteria. While Fleming’s discovery was well worth the while, it was missing one key element- it didn’t last very long. It wasn’t until twelve years later when there was a found solution to the problem. Researchers at Oxford University actually figured out that using a brown powder they had produced, they found that the antibacterial powder actually lasted longer and was still safe. So with the rise of World War ll, there was a major need for this drug. During this time there was a tremendous amount of penicillin being produced. Without the discovery of this drug, many lives would have been lost during the war. It helped fight infections in various types of wounds that would have otherwise killed the men at war. It also treated some of the major diseases of the time like syphilis and tuberculosis. All together this was a great discovery. It helped