It is astonishing to think how an accidental discovery changed medicine forever and, in fact, was a huge turning point in human history. Penicillin, the first antibiotic to be discovered, has been used to treat deadly infections such as meningitis and pneumonia for decades. Penicillin in its oral form is also known as Penicillin V (phenoxymethylpenicillin). It is usually a liquid with the molecular formula of C16H18N2O5S. Penicillin has a high percentage of bonding, 80%, so it can easily bond to the cell wall of bacteria affecting the human body. Since penicillin has a covalent bond, a really strong bond between molecules, it binds to the bacteria and creates an irreversible reaction in the bacterial cell which kills the bacteria altogether.
Dr. Alexander Fleming, a researcher at St.Mary’s Hospital, London, discovered this fungus, Penicillin Notatum, on September 28, 1928, when he returned from a two-week vacation to Scotland. He found that mold had developed in the staphylococcus (a bacteria which causes a staff infection) petri dish. Upon inspecting the mold, he found that it had prevented the growth of the staphylococcus. However, he stopped his research on penicillin in 1931.
It was not until 1939 that the fungus was turned into an actual life-saving drug by Howard Florey, a pathologist, working with Ernst Chain, a biochemist, at Oxford University. This was first tested on mice infected with streptococcus (bacteria that causes mild throat infections to deadly pneumonia) in 1941. The creation of the drug and its mass production proved to be a major factor in decreasing the death rate of soldiers. In World War I, 18% of soldiers died from infection, and in World War II, that number decreased to 1%. This drug saved up to one in seven UK soldiers that were wounded. After World War II ended, U.S. companies produced up to 650 billion units of penicillin per month, and penicillin remains one of the most widely used antibiotics today.
In 1945, Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey, and Ernst Chain received the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine for their “discovery of penicillin and curative effect in various infectious diseases.”
About the Author:
Ragul is a junior at Northwood High School, He is curious to learn more about cognitive psychology and ways to manipulate the human brain. He likes to read sci-fi novels and science magazines, spend time with family, and listen to music in his free time.
Sources:
American Chemical Society International Historic Chemical Landmarks. Discovery and Development of Penicillin. http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html (accessed May 12, 2022).
Penicillin: An accidental discovery changed the course of medicine. Healio. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2022, from https://www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20120325/penicillin-an-accidental-discovery-changed-the-course-of-medicine
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (n.d.). Penicillin G. National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database. Retrieved May 12, 2022, from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Penicillin-g
Comments