Alexander Fleming: Biotechnology and the Discovery of Penicillin
Sarah King
James J. Cheetham,
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
BIOL1010 T
"When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic, or bacteria killer… But I suppose that was exactly what I did.” Sir Alexander Fleming, already well known for his research on lysozymes, an antibacterial enzyme that occurs naturally in tissues and secretions that are capable of dissolving bacteria, accidentally became the founder of the medicine known today as penicillin by leaving his laboratory a mess before going on vacation. Fleming had been researching staphylococcus aureus, a fairly common …show more content…
Not only has it helped millions of people since its distribution to the public decades ago, it gives the scientists of today and future scientists a remarkable foundation to build up from. Penicillin was discovered in the 1920s and distributed in the 1950s… imagine what we could discover today with our modern day knowledge and technology! Brown goes on to say about the discovery of penicillin, “penicillin, whether protected by patents or not, was important in providing the impetus to the discovery and development of other antibiotics. There was at last the possibility of a cure for such once life-threatening diseases as the heart condition bacterial endocarditis, meningococcal meningitis and septic wound infections. Death in childbirth no longer haunted expectant mothers. The misery of chronic infections of the bones and joints or of the ear and sinuses was eased.” Clearly, Alexander Fleming was a remarkable addition to biotechnology, and his findings not only changed his time period, but our own, and even future generations to come. Without Alexander Fleming and his accidental discovery of penicillin, our world would be a much different
Sarah King
James J. Cheetham,
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
BIOL1010 T
"When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic, or bacteria killer… But I suppose that was exactly what I did.” Sir Alexander Fleming, already well known for his research on lysozymes, an antibacterial enzyme that occurs naturally in tissues and secretions that are capable of dissolving bacteria, accidentally became the founder of the medicine known today as penicillin by leaving his laboratory a mess before going on vacation. Fleming had been researching staphylococcus aureus, a fairly common …show more content…
Not only has it helped millions of people since its distribution to the public decades ago, it gives the scientists of today and future scientists a remarkable foundation to build up from. Penicillin was discovered in the 1920s and distributed in the 1950s… imagine what we could discover today with our modern day knowledge and technology! Brown goes on to say about the discovery of penicillin, “penicillin, whether protected by patents or not, was important in providing the impetus to the discovery and development of other antibiotics. There was at last the possibility of a cure for such once life-threatening diseases as the heart condition bacterial endocarditis, meningococcal meningitis and septic wound infections. Death in childbirth no longer haunted expectant mothers. The misery of chronic infections of the bones and joints or of the ear and sinuses was eased.” Clearly, Alexander Fleming was a remarkable addition to biotechnology, and his findings not only changed his time period, but our own, and even future generations to come. Without Alexander Fleming and his accidental discovery of penicillin, our world would be a much different