I. Introduction
As one of the first antibiotics ever discovered, penicillin proved to be a life-saving product for millions of people across the world. It was used by nearly everybody to prevent and treat infection, ranging from soldiers to infants. The discovery and development of penicillin cannot be credited to one specific scientist, but nearly half a dozen, including Ernest Duchesne, Alexander Fleming, Dr. Howard Florey, Ernst Chain, and Andrew J. Moyer (among others). Also, research was done in France, England, and the United States in the time period from 1896 to 1943.
II. Discovery
There was a span of nearly fifty years from the first discoveries related to penicillin to its mass production. This provides a complex and interesting history of this important antibiotic. In 1896, a French medical student named Ernest Duchesne discovered that certain molds kill bacteria. However, his breakthrough went unnoticed. Then in 1928 in London, a bacteriologist named Alexander Fleming discovered that a certain mold could destroy the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, even when it was diluted 800 times. He called this mold "penicillin." Although he published his findings, there was not an immediate response either. However, in 1939 at Oxford, Dr. Howard Florey, Ernst Chain, and a few other partners researched penicillin and demonstrated that it could be used to kill infectious bacteria. After that, they traveled to the United States, bringing with them a small package of valuable penicillin. There, they intended to develop a way of producing penicillin at a faster rate, and they began their work in the Peoria Lab. They discovered that by pumping air into deep vats containing corn steep liquor, penicillin, and other substances, growth rates of penicillin went way up. In November of 1941, Andrew J. Moyer increased the yields of penicillin ten times, and the production of penicillin skyrocketed by 1943.
III. Biography
Sir Alexander Fleming (1881 – 1955) was educated at St. Mary’s Medical School in London, where he also began research and became a lecturer and professor of bacteriology. In 1921, while searching for antibacterial substances that would not be toxic to animal tissues, he discovered lysozyme, which he named himself. Then, he made his discovery of penicillin in 1928. In 1943, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society, and he was knighted in 1944. During his career, Sir Alexander Fleming wrote many papers on bacteriology, immunology, and chemotherapy. He also earned countless awards for his work. To name a few, he received The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Honorary Gold Medal of the Royal College of Surgeons, and the Cameron Prize at the University of Edinburgh. Moreover, Fleming was an Honorary Member of nearly all the scientific and medical societies in the world, and he received his doctorate degree from almost thirty American and European Universities.
IV. Impact on World/Humanity
Penicillin had a tremendous impact on the world, preventing and curing infection in millions of people worldwide. In WWII, thousands upon thousands of soldiers were saved by this simple mold. However, the effects of penicillin reached far beyond treating soldiers during wartime. Until the production of penicillin, people could die from the most minor infections. Everyday people began to use penicillin, and it continued to save millions of lives, including the life of my great aunt. In the 1940s, she went to a Catholic Hospital to give birth to her second child. However, the nuns did not wash the table from the previous birth, and my great aunt got a life-threatening infection. They tried everything, but nothing would cure her infection. Then, the doctor told her that there was this new product called penicillin, and they were going to give it a try. Lo and behold, it cured her, and she is still living happily today.
V. Journal Article Review
In my journal article, three scientists from the Netherlands wanted to see the effects of penicillin on patients presenting with a sore throat and other symptoms. These patients may have had either strep throat (group A beta-hemolytic streptococci) or a viral illness. They took 239 patients with a sore throat and treated them with penicillin V. After two days of treatment, all patients reported back to the scientists about how they were feeling, and a throat culture was then performed. Also, patients kept a diary regarding their symptoms for 7 days. The patients who had strep throat showed significant signs of improvement after 2 days, including a reduction of fever. However, the patients with a viral illness showed no significant signs of improvement after 2 days. After 7 days, there was no difference between the two treatment groups at all based on the self-reporting of the patients. Therefore, the researchers concluded that the antibiotic penicillin V should only be used for bacterial group A beta-hemolytic streptococci infection. The researchers found that viral illnesses should not be treated with antibiotics for three reasons: they will have absolutely no effect, there is a chance of developing an allergy to the antibiotic, and patients run the risk of developing resistant bacteria.
VI. List of References
Bellis, B. M. (n.d.). History of Penicillin - Alexander Fleming - John Sheehan - Andrew Moyer. Inventors. Retrieved December 12, 2010, from http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/Penicillin.htm
Dagnelie, C. F., Van der Graaf, Y., & De Melker, R. A. (1996). Do patients with sore throat benefit from penicillin? A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial with penicillin V in general practice. British Journal of General Practice, 46, 589-593. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
Ernest Duchesne. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved December 12, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Duchesne
Penicillin. (n.d.). Things younger than Republican Presidential candidate (oh, and did I forget to mention war hero?) John McCain. Retrieved December 12, 2010, from http://www.thingsyoungerthanmccain.com/penicillin/
Sir Alexander Fleming - Biography. (n.d.). Nobelprize.org. Retrieved December 12, 2010, from http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1945/fleming-bio.html
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