The Discoveries of New Medicines back in 1800-1900

Nowadays, we are so indolent that we take for granted the medicine provided for us to cure our pain or illnesses and must feel privileged. When we date back to the 1800-1900, we will come to know that it wasn’t unusual for people to die with minor diseases, as there were no medicines invented for that certain type of disease. For decades, scientist and doctors worldwide have worked day and night in order to invent respective medicines and drugs that can help humankind to get rid of certain disease. Many drugs and medicines have been discovered or invented till today, but the medicine which has provided tremendous advantages to human kind due to its vast effectiveness is no other than Penicillin. Back in the medieval days, hospitals were full of people with infections and there wasn’t much to do but wait and hope. The Circumstances then were unsanitary and penicillin was unheeded.

Penicillin basically refers to any group of substances that are chemically similar and are obtained from molds of the Genus Penicillin. Penicillin was the first medicine discovered that successfully treated the bacterial infections caused by bacteria belonging to the genus of staphylococci. In the beginning, small amounts of penicillin were obtained from strains of mold P. Notatum.

There are seven main classes of antibiotics. One of the main classes is the penicillin group. Including penicillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, and many others that end with cillin. This group’s main role is to fight bacteria that cause staphylococci etc.

We are auspicious to be provided with numerous amounts of different antibiotics for our medical conditions. Penicillin has been one of the consummate and powerful Medicines yet conceived, and an example of one such disco...

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...uperior amounts, but no attention was paid.

Later in 1938, 10 years after Fleming’s invention three scientists Howard Florey, Ernst Chain and Norman Heatley had prolonged Alexander Fleming’s work at the university of Oxford. They performed certain experiments for growing, sanitizing and extracting penicillin to substantiate its value as a drug. Norman Heatley, had recommended transferring the ingredient of penicillin back to water to change its acidity. By 1940 they produced adequate amount of penicillin to test on animals, which they tested on mice by injecting them with penicillin and streptococci to see which mice had survived. From the results they had gained, the mice that were injected with penicillin had survived whilst the other failed During the year 1942, a patient was successfully treated for the bacterial infections that he had by using penicillin.