Into the twentieth century - AQAThe first antibiotic

Before antibiotics, a simple infection could be fatal if it spread throughout the body. Louis Pasteur’s germ theory and Paul Ehrlich’s discovery of a magic bullet were highly significant. They meant work had begun to find a natural substance that could be used to kill the bacteria that caused infection.

Alexander Fleming

When he investigated the mould, Fleming realised it was Penicillium fungi. He researched further and discovered that it killed Staphylococcus bacteria. He wrote about his findings in a medical journal.

Howard Florey and Ernst Chain

Howard Florey and Ernst Chain were researchers at the University of Oxford. In 1935, they used Fleming’s work as a basis for trying to purify penicillin so it could be given as a medicine. By 1941, they had managed to achieve this and were ready for a human trial.

Albert Alexander was the first person to receive penicillin, he was a policeman who had cut his cheek while gardening:

• the wound had become infected
• he was very ill in hospital
• after receiving penicillin he regained consciousness and started to recover
• there was not enough penicillin to continue treating him
• he became ill again and died

World War Two and mass production

When World War Two broke out, Florey and Chain travelled to America and were given $3 million in funding by the US government. They found a way to grow and mass produce purified penicillin. The US government paid for enough penicillin to be produced that every American soldier injured on D-Day could be given penicillin.

After World War Two, new methods were developed. These meant people could routinely be given antibiotics to deal with infection.