Penicillin Medicine Research Paper (Research Paper Sample)

Penicillin
Name
Institution
Penicillin
Before the discovery of an antibiotic that could fight and help reduce pneumonia, which had claimed the lives of many people, a new antibiotic era came into existence. Antibiotics are chemical compounds capable of conquering both bacteria and fungi, which kill, or inhibit, competing microbial organisms. In the ancient times, Egyptian medicine- men used to place mouldy bread on a wound to prevent further bacterial infection. However, in the year 1928 Alexander Fleming discovered the first true antibiotic (Chain, 1979). The Scottish scientist was at the time working on influenza virus in the St Mary’s laboratory. The discussion below will contain the origin, the use, and where Penicillin can be found.
Supposedly, the discovery of penicillin was an accidental process as Fleming had left for vacation leaving Petri dishes containing Staphylococcus. This bacterium is responsible for boils, sore throats, and abscesses. Fleming noticed that one of the dishes that had mould on it inhibited the multiplication of bacteria, and this was how Penicillin came into being. After this accidental discovery, the scientist decided to carry out more tests on various kinds of bacteria such as Streptococcus, Meningococcus, and the diphtheria bacillus. He found out that penicillin was able to kill them all (Bennett & Chung, 2001).
Penicillin comes from the mould Penicillium and can be divided into two categories; the naturally occurring penicillin (through the process of fermentation) and the semi synthesised penicillin, which exists in chemical form. Penicillin treats various forms of bacteria and fungi infections since the antibiotic can be changed into various forms. Clinically, penicillin G is the only natural occurring form of penicillin. (Chain, 1979). All penicillin work in the same way, inhibiting cell enzymes responsible for cell wall formation hence it can only be used against microorganisms that produce a cell wall.
The discovery of the antibiotic changed the world of medicine greatly; patients with wound infections that was severe or even fatal received treatment by administering the drug to the patient orally. As an antibiotic, the drug can be used for a broad range of therapy. Moreover, penicillin treats sore throats and synthesises BCG, which is a vaccine against Tuberculosis, meningitis, syphilis and other bacterial and fungal infections (Chain, 1979). It has helped people for the better part of the twentieth century, during the Second World War penicillin helped soldiers that suffered war wounds and reduced death cases due to wound infections. Today in the War on Iraq, the drug has proved helpful to help injured victims form fatal wound infections. Penicillin kills a wide variety of bacteria hence, the development of drugs such as Streptomycin, Amino glycosides, and Tetracycline, leading to the growth of Pharmacies. For many medical practitioners, the discovery of peni...