What Are The Key Discoveries In The 1920's

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Antibiotics were a pivotal discovery which saved many lives during epidemics and pandemics over the recent centuries. During the 1920’s a scientist named Alexander Fleming was working as the professor of bacteriology in London at St. Mary's Hospital. Alexander was working on staphylococcus and had left some on the table which got contaminated. Later a colony was spotted in one of the samples resembling a white fluffy mass which multiplied rapidly and caused the staphylococcus to become transparent. Weeks later the bacteria had exhibited antibacterial properties and was especially effective on pathogenic strains. This would urge fleming to bring this to other universities and further research.
In 1925 Fleming published his work in the British journal of pathology where he talked about its abilities to kill bacteria that cause strep throat and other pathogens. The article had led Oxford university to start research on the substance. Researchers at Oxford were working on the purification of penicillin and had turned the raw substance into a life saving drug. The continued research of penicillin made increased amounts of refined product to be produced. Making 500 litres a week, the researchers had started to refine penicillin for clinical trials. The animal experimentation had proved that it could protect mice from streptococci. The drug had gone into clinical trials and on February 12,1941 a 43 year old had come in with a fatal bacterial infection. The doctors had administered penicillin to the patient reaping excellent reward, the patient had healed at an astonishing rate dying days later because the supply of the drug ran out. With other patients in the clinical trial healing well the drug was to be given to the British soldiers. WWII had caused the production of the drug to slow. Companies like Pfizer and Glaxo were the only firms in Britain creating the drug. In america the drug was being researched and put into more clinical trials with help from the rockefeller corporation. The drug had continued research at The Department of Agriculture’s Northern Regional Research lab. The expertise of the lab scientist in fermentation made the mass production of the drug possible. Weeks after research began in america the researchers discovered that substituting chemicals like lactose for sucrose they could greatly increase the yield of the drug. Later in testing the discovery that corn-steep liquor could increase the yield even more. The most productive strain of the drug turned out to be a cantaloupe subjected to x-ray radiation and later ultraviolet radiation increasing the production yet again. In america pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Squibb and lilly were asked to help mass produce the drug. Lilly however had already done research on the drug and declined as did Merck and Squibb. Later the companies that the national interest was in penicillin and that they may get government support. Companies Pfizer Squibb Merck and other companies had begun extensive research on how to make the yield of penicillin greater and faster. These companies agreed at a CMR meeting ten days after the Attack on Pearl Harbor. They agreed that each company would research separately and report findings to CMR. Squibb was researching on the aeration of the growing vats. As penicillin needs oxygen to grow the tanks are aerated causing the corn malt liquor to foam making it hard to tend to the penicillin. The solution was to introduce the anti-foaming agent glyceryl monoricinoleate. With the addition of the anti foaming agent the growth process required a more efficient cooling and stirring system. Lilly had been researching multiple strains of penicillin. The penicillin discovered
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These places are full of bacteria and hosts. The hosts are usually pigs and cows that are kept in close quarters. These animals are given antibiotics whenever they are fed regardless of the health. This causes harmless bacteria to become completely antibiotic resistant. While they are resistant the meat of the animal still contains high amounts of antibiotics that remain in the meat even after they are cooked. Since humans are host for many harmless and harmful bacteria, eating antibiotic infused eat is harmful since the bacteria will become resistant and can spread that resistance to other species of

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