In 1928, Professor
Alexander Fleming, a bacteriologist working at St Mary’s Hospital in London
accidentally discovered Penicillin. It was the first of the antibiotics but failed to
stabilize the substance because the germ-destroying qualities lasted for only a few days.
The next major breakthrough was achieved when stabilization was achieved by
Australian-born pathologist Howard Florey and the German-born Ernst Chain, a chemist,
working at Oxford University in 1940
Over the years new antibiotics have been discovered such as streptomycin (effective
against tuberculosis) ,chloramphenicol (effective against typhoid fever) and terramycin
(effective against many diseases.)
An antibiotic is a germ-killing substance derived from a living source, often a mould.
The penicillin takes the form of a living mould, producing an antibiotic, which could have
a place in treatment. It is effective against a wide range of serious diseases and at the
same time it has virtually harmless to normal tissues.
The invention of antibiotic has proved to be the "miracle drug" for which the
medical world of that time was hoping for. It has helped prevent against various diseases
that without it, people could have died from the disease. It has also saved many lives
especially during the World Wars for treatment on soldiers. Without this great invention,
many more would have died.