Penicillin
a portrait of Alexander Fleming. © IWM (Art.IWM ART LD 4217)
During the First World War, there was a good understanding of how infection was spread and the preventative measures to reduce the risk of infection. However, without the use of antibiotics there was still a large proportion of deaths due to infection.
In 1928, Alexander Fleming noticed a growth of mould on a bacterium culture of staphylococcus, the mould he saw was penicillium – a fungus. He observed that no bacteria was producing around this growth and thus could be used to treat a wide range of bacterial infections.
Fleming published his research to the scientific community, but it was the work of Ernst Chain and Howard Florey who continued Fleming's legacy. In the 1940’s, Florey and Chain were able to produce enough penicillin to experiment on animals. Mice were used and the drug was shown to be effective. As a result, human trials were performed.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Penicillins are a group of antibacterial drugs that attack a wide range of bacteria.
Having been turned down by British companies who were busy with the war effort, during the Second World War, Florey and Chain turned to the United States to mass produce penicillin in a usable form in humans. In 1942, millions of units of pure penicillin were produced by American pharmaceutical companies.
These were given as priority to Allied soldiers, which greatly reduced amputations and dropped the overall death rate as well. The discovery of penicillin and its wider use during the Second World War is credited with reducing the overall number of deaths during the conflict.
In Fleming’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, he warned that the overuse of penicillins might, one day, lead to bacterial resistance. This has since become a problem.
SECOND WORLD WAR CONTENTS:
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