The age of discovery began in the 1700s, with
groups of scientists tinkering with everything. By the 1800s, some of this
tinkering became useful inventions. By the 1900s, these inventions became
products. The advance of medicine
followed this general trend and the golden age of medicine was the 1900s.
The high point of this golden age was the
invention of penicillin to treat infection and inflammation, prevent death and
allow healing. Big advances in medicine
stopped after the 1950s, but treatments were improved.
Now we are left with penicillin and polio
vaccine. Illnesses are treated, not cured.
Healthcare has taken on all the trappings of a scam.
Penicillin
Penicillin was discovered by Alexander
Fleming in 1928. The process for producing effective penicillin was developed
at Pfizer from 1941 to 1944. The use of penicillin allowed physicians to cure
bacterial infections that had decimated populations with smallpox, infections
and other deadly plagues. See below:
Alexander
Fleming, by Kevin Lepton
Alexander Fleming
revolutionized the field of bacteriology with his research. His discovery of
penicillin profoundly changed medical practice and the treatment of surgical
infections, marking the beginning of the antibiotic era. Not only did Alexander
Fleming discover it by chance, but also he did not fully realize the
significance of his discovery.
Alexander Fleming was
born on a farm in Ayrshire, located in the wilds of Scotland, on August 6,
1881. At the age of 14, he moved to London to join his older brother Tom, where
he took classes at the commercial section of a high school, and then found work
as an employee for a shipping company.
In July 1901, he came
into possession of a small inheritance, which allowed him to resume his
studies. He received a scholarship from the medical school at St. Mary's
Hospital Medical School, where he presented a thesis on microbial infections
and ways to combat them. He graduated as a medical doctor and received a gold
medal from the University of London, in 1908. As he wanted to become a surgeon,
Alexander Fleming was awarded the title of Companion of the Royal College of
Surgeons.
Fleming begins to work
with his former teacher, Sir Almroth Wright, the head of the Laboratory of
Bacteriology at St. Mary's Hospital. He begins the work on the treatment of
bacterial infections, which at that time take their toll. He had a small
research laboratory in the basement of St Mary's Hospital, which became
thereafter the Wright-Fleming Institute.
Fleming's appointment as
professor of bacteriology in 1928, attests to his contribution to all sectors
of research on infectious diseases. On his return from vacation September 3,
1928, a miracle occurs. He observed the growth inhibition of staphylococcal
colonies on a petri dish containing a culture of bacteria growing on a layer of
agar, a green mold, resembling that of Roquefort cheese. "That's
funny!" exclaimed Alexander Fleming.
He then observed that
the green mold, which probably came from an adjacent laboratory, has literally
destroyed the bacteria culture. He will find very quickly that this fungus is
active in many bacteria. Fleming discovered a fungus, which he called
"Penicillium notatum", which was to become the main component of
Penicillin. He published his discovery in 1929, but the Medical Research Club
remained skeptical about it. As Fleming was not a biochemist, he did not have
the necessary expertise to produce and purify penicillin.
His discovery becomes
especially important twelve years later thanks to the work of Sir Howard Florey
and his team at Oxford University, who succeed in extracting and purifying the
penicillin. The therapeutic effects of penicillin and its safety for the human
body were recognized on August 6, 1941. This is the date on which an article is
published in the British medical journal The Lancet, entitled "Further
observations on penicillin."
In 1942, Fleming
obtained amazing results in his first clinical trial, curing the infection of a
teenager with sepsis. Penicillin became to be mass-produced during the Second
World War and since then, it has contributed to saving the lives of millions of
people. In 1945, Fleming was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his
discovery.
Rumor Has It … in grade school Alexander Fleming was prone to coughs and colds. So his teacher nicknamed him "Phlegm Kadiddlehopper. True story.
http://www.sciography.com/alexander-fleming.htm
Comments
Penicillin was the “wonder drug” of the 20th
century. Mold had been used in various forms for medical purposes for
centuries. The invention of the microscope in 1590 led to the discovery of how
bacteria reacted to penicillin.
Norb
Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
No comments:
Post a Comment