The Discovery of Penicillin - 1750 Words

Today we often take for granted just going to the doctor and getting medicine to fix any illness we may have or pain that we are feeling. There hasn’t always been the privileges that we have today, back in the 1800’s and early 1900’s it wasn’t uncommon for people and children to die from just a minor scratch, pinpricks, scarlet fever, or any minor diseases. Hospitals were full of people with infections spiraling out of control, but there wasn’t anything available for them. Our soldiers fighting for our freedom were destined to perish due to gangrene and amputations from battle wounds, the conditions were unsanitary and the simple dose of an antibiotic was unheard of. It is hard for our civilization to appreciate the medical†¦show more content†¦Due to the introduction of penicillin during World War II the majority of our soldiers were able to return home to their families as healthy as they were before they left. World War II was th e mightiest struggle mankind has ever seen. It killed more people, cost more money, damaged more property, affected more people, and caused more changes in nearly every country than any other war. Some researchers say that penicillin was the key top-secret weapon that helped the allies win World War II. At the end of World War II the medical advancements that had been discovered were then made available to the rest of civilization (Medicine and World War II). â€Å"If any good can be said to come of war, then the Second World War must go on record as assisting and accelerating one of the greatest blessings that the 20th Century has conferred on Man – the huge advances in medical knowledge and surgical techniques. War, by producing so many and such appalling casualties, and by creating such widespread conditions in which disease can flourish, confronted the medical profession with an enormous challenge – and the doctors of the world rose to the challenge of the last war magnificently,†- Brian Ford (Medicine and World War Two). With World War II at an end we have now began a whole new war. The war of â€Å"bugs vs.Show MoreRelatedEssay on The Discovery of Penicillin897 Words   |  4 Pages Penicillin was first noticed in 1896, by Ernest Duchesne. Thirty-two years later Alexander Fleming noticed it as well, when he was working at St. Mary’s Hospital which is located in London. He observed that when bacteria had become contaminated by, Penicillium fungi, the bacteria nearest to the mold had started to die. In 1929, he named the substance Penicillin and he released his observations he had done through his investigations. He thought that maybe his investigations could be beneficialRead MoreAlexander Fleming: The Discovery of Penicillin1884 Words   |  8 PagesAlexander Fleming changed the world of medicine not only in his days but also in the world today. We have the medicines and antibiotics that we have today because of Alexander Fleming. His discovery was much needed in the world and I hate to think where we would be in the medicine world if he hadn’t discovered penicillin. Alexander Fleming was born on August 6, 1881 in Darvel, Ayrshire, Scotland. He was born on Lochfield Farm, which was his family’s farm. Alex was the seventh of eight children. He wasRead MoreFleming And His Amazing Discovery Of Penicillin1453 Words   |  6 Pages Fleming and His Amazing Discovery of Penicillin BIOL 1010 Professor: James Cheetham Student: Hyun Hong 100831589 October 6th, 2015 Biotechnology has a long history of helping human beings have a better quality of life. Over the decades, numerous scientists have made substantial contributions to biotechnology. Among these scientists, I think Alexander Fleming made the greatest contributions. In this paper, I will explain how Alexander Fleming made significant contribution toRead MoreWhy The Discovery Of Penicillin Is A Game Changer1596 Words   |  7 Pagesfor the discovery of Penicillin in September of 1921 at his laboratory in St Mary’s Hospital. Fleming is the father of modern day antibiotics because of his outstanding work as a bacteriologist. Had it not been for his amazing discovery of penicillin the world would be a much scarier place for modern man. In this paper I will prove beyond all doubt that Fleming deserves this award for his contributions in the advancement of biotechnology. I will explain why the discovery of penicillin is a gameRead MoreThe Discovery Of Penicillin During The World Of Medicine2931 Words   |  12 Pagesdiscovered penicillin in September 1928. At the time, Fleming was experimenting with the influenza virus in a lab in London (Penicillin). After coming back from a two week vacation, Fleming noticed a mold had developed on an accidentally contaminated staphylococcus culture plate (Penicillin). Upon examination of the mold, he noticed that the culture prevented the growth of staphylococci. Fleming had discovered the world s first antibiotic. Significance: The discovery of penicillin changed theRead MoreAndrew Fleming s Discovery Of Penicillin Essay1639 Words   |  7 Pagesevident in today’s culture; however it is much less predominant. Homoeopathically, the invention of Lock Hospitals further branded women to be immoral, however the medical advancements of treating STD’s with reference to Alexander Fleming’s discovery of Penicillin in 1928 and Wasserman’s test for syphilis in 1906 has aided societal views to not ostracise one specific gender or sexual preference group, and instead comprehend that disease can be spread in a multitude of ways and thankfully can now beRead MoreThe Triumph Of Fleming s Discovery Of Penicillin Essay1338 Words   |  6 PagesCHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Overview and Significance While we have made tremendous advancement in various fields of therapeutics, the triumph of Fleming’s discovery of penicillin is fading away with the rise of antibiotic resistance; we are pushing ourselves back into the pre-antibiotic era. In the United States 2 million people get infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria and 23,000 die each year as a result (CDC). The picture is grimmer in the developing world. This project was initiated to studyRead MoreAn Accidental Discovery: Sir Alexander Fleming and Penicillin1343 Words   |  6 Pagesfew 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 aRead MoreThe Discovery Of Penicillin During World War II1706 Words   |  7 PagesFleming discovered penicillin. The scientific community still celebrates his discovery since it was a major breakthrough in science, especially in the antibiotics and fermentation field. Although his discovery changed various scientific fields and it opened the doors for research in areas not studied or considered relevant before, the actual usefulness of penicillin was truly reached until the large scale production of penicillin was achieved. Before its manufacturing penicillin was considered forRead MoreThe Discovery Of Insulin And Penicillin And The Development Of The U.s. Health Care System1745 Words   |  7 Pagesvery litt le variation in results. Many people do not know that the 1920s was more than an age of economic prosperity and defying prohibition; it was also a time of great advances in health care and medicine in the United States. The discovery of insulin and penicillin and the development of the U.S. health care system are only a few of the examples of the medical advances that took place in the 1920s. These advances shaped the lives of Americans in a way like no other. Medicine and health care was