ALEXANDER FLEMING AND THE DISCOVERY OF PENICILLIN
[1] Alexander Fleming was born on a farm in Scotland in 1881. When he was 13, he went to live with his brother, who was a doctor in London. Because his family was poor, he had to work in an office for five years, but he did not stop studying. Finally, when he was 21, he had enough money to become a student in the medical school of St. Mary’s Hospital, a part of London University.
[2] One of Fleming’s teachers at St. Mary’s was Sir Almroth Wright, who was a famous bacteriologist. He discovered a lot of information about how the blood protects the body from bacteria. He also developed a vaccine that prevented people from getting typhoid fever. This vaccine saved the lives of thousands of people. Wright passed his knowledge and interest in bacteria and disease to his student, Fleming.
[3] During World War I, Fleming worked as an army doctor in France. He saw a large number of men die because of their wounds. In most cases, the wounds did not kill men directly. Instead, the wounds allowed large numbers of bacteria to enter the bodies of the wounded men. These bacteria caused infection and the infection killed the men.
[4] After the war, Dr. Fleming specialized in bacteriology, and in 1924 he replaced his former teacher, Sir Almroth Wright as a professor of bacteriology at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. He continued Wright’s research. In particular, he was looking for substances which would directly attack harmful bacteria without harming the body itself.
[5] In 1928 he was studying the bacteria that caused a painful skin disease. In order to find out how to deal with these germs, he was growing them on small plates. One day he noticed a small area of mould on one of these dishes. Mould is a common tiny plant-like substance, called fungus, which often grows on old bread or fruit.
Fleming thought that the mould had destroyed his experiment and he would have to throw it away. However, because he was a trained scientist, he looked at the mould under a microscope. It was the very common mould, Penicillium notatum. Fleming noticed that the bacteria all around the mould were dead. Because of his trained scientific mind, he began to ask questions. Fleming put some of the mould with more bacteria of the same kind. The germs were destroyed. He tried it on bacteria of other kinds. It stopped the growth of many other germs. He seemed to have discovered a powerful substance that could kill disease-causing bacteria.
[6] There were many more questions still to be answered, however. What was the substance in Penicillium notatum that killed germs? Was it possible to isolate it, to prepare it as a separate substance? Would it harm the body or any part of it?
[7] For years, Fleming continued his experiments. He found that the substance killed many different kinds of disease-causing bacteria. He was also able to isolate it and he called it penicillin. However, the substance was very hard to control. Fleming was not able to produce it in such a way that it always had the same effects. It was not until 1940 that two biochemists were able to produce penicillin as a powder with an unchanging character. Soon after this, penicillin began to be used by doctors around the world and it immediately began to save thousands of lives. Penicillin also showed the way to the discovery of many other antibiotics which can kill most of the bacteria which can cause disease.
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Explanation:
ALEXANDER FLEMING AND THE DISCOVERY OF PENICILLIN
[1] Alexander Fleming was born on a farm in Scotland in 1881. When he was 13, he went to live with his brother, who was a doctor in London. Because his family was poor, he had to work in an office for five years, but he did not stop studying. Finally, when he was 21, he had enough money to become a student in the medical school of St. Mary’s Hospital, a part of London University.
[2] One of Fleming’s teachers at St. Mary’s was Sir Almroth Wright, who was a famous bacteriologist. He discovered a lot of information about how the blood protects the body from bacteria. He also developed a vaccine that prevented people from getting typhoid fever. This vaccine saved the lives of thousands of people. Wright passed his knowledge and interest in bacteria and disease to his student, Fleming.
[3] During World War I, Fleming worked as an army doctor in France. He saw a large number of men die because of their wounds. In most cases, the wounds did not kill men directly. Instead, the wounds allowed large numbers of bacteria to enter the bodies of the wounded men. These bacteria caused infection and the infection killed the men.
[4] After the war, Dr. Fleming specialized in bacteriology, and in 1924 he replaced his former teacher, Sir Almroth Wright as a professor of bacteriology at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. He continued Wright’s research. In particular, he was looking for substances which would directly attack harmful bacteria without harming the body itself.
[5] In 1928 he was studying the bacteria that caused a painful skin disease. In order to find out how to deal with these germs, he was growing them on small plates. One day he noticed a small area of mould on one of these dishes. Mould is a common tiny plant-like substance, called fungus, which often grows on old bread or fruit.
Fleming thought that the mould had destroyed his experiment and he would have to throw it away. However, because he was a trained scientist, he looked at the mould under a microscope. It was the very common mould, Penicillium notatum. Fleming noticed that the bacteria all around the mould were dead. Because of his trained scientific mind, he began to ask questions. Fleming put some of the mould with more bacteria of the same kind. The germs were destroyed. He tried it on bacteria of other kinds. It stopped the growth of many other germs. He seemed to have discovered a powerful substance that could kill disease-causing bacteria.
[6] There were many more questions still to be answered, however. What was the substance in Penicillium notatum that killed germs? Was it possible to isolate it, to prepare it as a separate substance? Would it harm the body or any part of it?
[7] For years, Fleming continued his experiments. He found that the substance killed many different kinds of disease-causing bacteria. He was also able to isolate it and he called it penicillin. However, the substance was very hard to control. Fleming was not able to produce it in such a way that it always had the same effects. It was not until 1940 that two biochemists were able to produce penicillin as a powder with an unchanging character. Soon after this, penicillin began to be used by doctors around the world and it immediately began to save thousands of lives. Penicillin also showed the way to the discovery of many other antibiotics which can kill most of the bacteria which can cause disease.
I WILL PUT THE QSTS NEXT