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Penicillin in pharmacology
Penicillin discovery essay
Penicillin discovery essay
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Penicillin has always been known to be one of the most widely uses of medication. Although it is known to be an allergy factor to some people, many doctors use it on patients to treat fevers, pneumonia, ad ear, skin, and throat infections. But how did it become so widely known? Penicillin was first recognized in 1896, by Ernest Du chesne. A few years later, it was re-discovered by bacteriologist Alexander Fleming. He observed that when the bacteria had been contaminated with, the mold had started to die. He later named the substance Penicillin and from that point on, it took off.In 1939, Dr. Howard Florey began some research on penicillin. One of the main reason as to how the medication took off is because of the war. The war with Germany made
The Factor of War in the Development of Penicillin The discovery, development and subsequent use of penicillin can be considered to be one of the most important breakthroughs in medical history. There were many factors, which were involved in the development of penicillin, and it could be argued that war was the most important, but other factors were also responsible. Alexander Fleming was working in London as a bacteriologist in 1928 when he noticed that a growth of a mould called penicillin produced a substance that actually killed the germs he was working on. He realised that this might be very important and a year later he wrote an article about his findings. However, Fleming did not have the facilities or the support to develop and test his idea that penicillin could fight infection, and he didn't develop it further.
Adegoke AA, Tom M, Okoh AI, Jacob S (2010) Studies on multiple antibiotic resistant bacterial isolated from surgical site infection. Scient Res. Essays 5:3876-81.
Penicillin is an antibiotic that kills bacteria, sufficiently treating any injuries. This drug was invented before the war, but had its major outbreak during World War II. Once scientists discovered the potential of penicillin, they aggressively started to pursue methods to mass produce the drug. The mass production of penicillin saved many American lives and led to our victory during World War II.
Years later other scientists were also intrigued by the possibilities of penicillin and produced enough penicillin to prove that it was a useable antibiotic. The scientists from Great Britain were developing all of this during World War II, and unfortunately funding for their drug was unavailable due to the war. They decided to bring their concepts to the United States, and once enough was made, it was eventually used, to treat wounded soldiers during World War I.
My disease is Streptococcal pneumonia or pneumonia is caused by the pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Streptococcus pneumoniae is present in human’s normal flora, which normally doesn’t cause any problems or diseases. Sometimes though when the numbers get too low it can cause diseases or upper respiratory tract problems or infections (Todar, 2008-2012). Pneumonia caused by this pathogen has four stages. The first one is where the lungs fill with fluid. The second stage causes neutrophils and red blood cells to come to the area which are attracted by the pathogen. The third stage has the neutrophils stuffed into the alveoli in the lungs causing little bacteria to be left over. The fourth stage of this disease the remaining residue in the lungs are take out by the macrophages. Aside from these steps pneumonia follows, if the disease should persist further, it can get into the blood causing a systemic reaction resulting in the whole body being affected (Ballough). Some signs and symptoms of this disease are, “fever, malaise, cough, pleuritic chest pain, purulent or blood-tinged sputum” (Henry, 2013). Streptococcal pneumonia is spread through person-to-person contact through aerosol droplets affecting the respiratory tract causing it to get into the human body (Henry, 2013).
Having an ear infection in 2015 is no big deal. You hop in your car and drive to your doctor’s office. Your doctor sees you, diagnoses you with an ear infection and prescribes you, penicillin like they have dozens of times before. Today penicillin and other antibiotics are taken for granted. Before the 1920’s bacterial infections would do a lot more harm than just having an ear ache. If penicillin was not invented who knows how delayed today’s medicine would be.
18). Even though those diseases were not his goal to cure it still made penicillin revolutionary for the time being. Fleming now knew how to make penicillin and started to mass produce it. In the 1930s during the upgrading process of penicillin Fleming himself was cured of severe conjunctivitis. Then in the 1940s the fully developed penicillin was created. The creation of penicillin cured a wide variety of diseases, which led to the world excelling in growth, and penicillin improved the way of medicine at the time. The variety of diseases cured by penicillin made it a must have antibiotic. Penicillin was used to cure multiple diseases including syphilis, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, gangrene, pneumonia, diphtheria, and scarlet fever ( Common Antibiotics ). All the diseases have one thing in common, they all have the ability to spread, some faster than others. When a disease is discovered people tried to make a cure. When penicillin was made diseases that were thought to never have a cure were cured. People began to demand that penicillin be sold in local pharmacies. Penicillin was released to help people with the variety of diseases curable by
Throughout history disease has run rampant taking many lives with every passing day. Finding a cure or even just a tool in the battle has been the main focus of scientist throughout time. This focus is what brought us the discovery of antibiotics. Over the years antibiotics have been misused by patients, over prescribed by physicians and have led to resistant strains of bacteria.
The purpose of this paper is to review and summarize an article concerning antibiotic resistance. The article chosen was “The role of healthcare strategies in controlling antibiotic resistance” by Ann-Marie Aziz (2013) published in British Journal of Nursing, Vol. 22 Issue 18. This article discusses essential components to understand how antibiotics work; different strains of bacteria; what antibiotic resistance means and consists of; antibiotic resistance when pertaining to the production of foods. Along with strategies that can be utilized in health care to help reduce antibiotic resistance. For example, prescribing adjustments, sampling and testing; committees and education for staff and patients.
Approximately one year ago in Kentucky, a man went to sleep thinking he might have caught a flu. The next day, he is rushed to the local hospital while coughing up chunks of lung tissue; within a few hours he experiences organ failure and lips into a coma. Over the next two days, two other patients come in with the same symptoms and die almost immediately. This epidemic that swept over this small area in Kentucky was an ultra resistant strain of staph infection known as MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Eisler, 2013). MRSA and other species of resistant bacteria have arisen from the global overuse of antibiotics. Over the years, resistant strains of bacteria have become more and more difficult to fend of using common antibiotic treatments. If something is not done to stop antibiotic resistance, completely resistant strains of bacteria, which we will be unable to kill through use of antibiotics.
Treatment must begin immediately with penicillin (Counteracting Major Infections 918).Penicillin, the drug used to treat this infection was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1932 Though discovered before the war and in the aftermath of the great war penicillin only became mass produced during world war 2, especially the netherlands after the war. Researchers in the Netherlands produced penicillin using their own production methods and marketed it in 1946, which eventually increased the penicillin supply and decreased the price.(Robert Gaynes) This allowed for penicillin to be available to most people for commercial use along with prontosil ( a previously discovered antibiotic). Together, Prontosil, penicillin, and related antibacterials enabled physicians to control the major infectious diseases afflicting humanity, at least for many decades; however, an increasing problem today is the steady development by bacteria of resistance to antibiotics.(Ronald Bentley)The discovery of Sulfanilamide greatly affected the mortality rate during World War II. American soldiers were taught to immediately sprinkle sulfa powder on any open wound to prevent infection.(David Steinert)Every soldier was issued a first aid pouch that was designed to be attached to the soldier’s waist belt. The first aid pouch contained a package of sulfa powder and a bandage to dress the wound.One of the main components carried by a combat medic during World War II was sulfa powder and sulfa tablets. (David Steinert) Dramatic proof of the effectiveness of this new agent was provided during an outbreak of meningitis in the French Foreign Legion in Nigeria.While sulfanilamide was available, there was an 11% mortality rate. After the supply was exhausted, mortality climbed to 75%. Sulfanilamide and its derivatives, which soon followed, were said to have "dethroned the captain of the men of death," such was their
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) said, “Each year in the United States, at least two million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and at least twenty-three thousand people die each year as a direct result of these infections.” (Threat Report 2013) Antibiotics were created to kill bacteria; since they were created, the bacteria have started to become resistant to the antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of an antibiotic. Because of this resistance, I believe that the use of antibiotics have been proven to be more harmful to human health than helpful.
Alexander Fleming started the history of antibiotics in the 1920's with his discovery of penicillin.When penicillin was first discovered and used widely, it was touted as a wonder drug, and consequently was used as one.Though not necessarily harmful to the patient penicillin was used for much more infections than it was able to combat.Today the same practice is observed in the medical profession, however at this point it is due more to the detriment of an uneducated public.Studies have been carried out that show the huge over usage of antibiotics.In the seventies Soyka et al, concluded, "60% of physicians surveyed gave antibiotics for the treatment of the common cold."[3], and by common knowledge the common cold is a virus, something that cannot be treated by an antibiotic.Nyquist
Discovery and Development of Penicillin. (2014, April 4). Retrieved from American Chemical Society International Historic Chemical Landmarks: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html
The discovery of antibiotics is attributed to Alexander Fleming who discovered the first antibiotic to be commercially used (Penicillin) in approximately 1928. An antibiotic, also known as an antimicrobial, is a medication that is taken in order to either destroy or slow the growth rate of bacteria. Antibiotics are integral to the success of many medical practises, such as; surgical procedures, organ transplants, the treatment of cancer and the treatment of the critically ill. (Ramanan Laxminarayan, 2013)