Who invented penicillin? History of the discovery and properties of penicillin

Hundreds of human lives were saved during the time of application of antibiotics in medical practice. The discovery of penicillin made it easy to rid people of diseases that until the beginning of the 20th century were considered incurable.

Medicine before the invention of penicillin

For many centuries, medicine has been unable to save the lives of all those affected. The first step to the breakthrough was the discovery of the fact of the nature of the origin of many ailments. The point is that most diseases are caused by the harmful effects of microorganisms. Scientists quickly realized that pathogenic bacteria can be destroyed with the help of other microorganisms that display a "hostile attitude" to pathogens.

In the course of their medical practice, several scientists at once in XIX came to this conclusion. Among them was Louis Pasteur, who discovered that the action of certain microorganisms leads to the death of anthrax bacilli. But this information was not enough. It was necessary to find concrete effective ways of solving the problem. All attempts of physicians to create a universal medicine ended unsuccessfully. And only pure chance and brilliant guess helped Alexander Fleming, the scientist who invented penicillin.

Useful properties of mold

It is difficult to believe that the most common mold has bactericidal properties. But it really is. After all, it is not just a greenish-gray substance, but a microscopic fungus. It arises from embryos of even smaller size that are floating in the air. In conditions of poor air circulation and other factors, mold is formed from them. Penicillin was not yet discovered, but in the writings of Avicenna XI century there are references to the treatment of purulent diseases with the help of mold.

The dispute between the two scientists

In the 60 years of the XIX century, Russian doctors Alexei Polotebnov and Vyacheslav Manassein seriously argued. The subject of the dispute was mold. Polotebnov believed that she was the ancestors of all microbes. Manassein insisted on the opposite point of view, and to prove his case, conducted a series of studies.

He watched the growth of mold spores, which he sowed in a nutrient medium. As a result, V. Manassein saw that the development of bacteria did not occur at the growth sites of the mold. His opinion has now been confirmed experimentally: the mold really blocks the growth of other microorganisms. His opponent admitted the error of his statement. Moreover, Polotebnov himself began to closely study the antibacterial properties of mold. There is evidence that he even successfully used them in the treatment of poorly healing skin ulcers. Polotebnov devoted several chapters of his scientific work to describing the properties of mold. In the same place, the scientist recommended using these features in medicine, in particular, for the treatment of skin diseases. But this idea did not inspire other doctors and was unfairly forgotten.

Who invented penicillin

This merit belongs to the scientist-physician Alexander Fleming. He was a professor in the laboratory of St. Mary of the city of London. The main theme of his scientific activity is the growth and properties of staphylococci. The discovery of penicillin he committed by accident. Special care Fleming was not famous, rather, on the contrary. Once, leaving on his desk unwashed cups with bacterial cultures, a few days later he noticed the mold formed. He was interested in the fact that in the space around the mold the bacteria were destroyed.

Fleming gave the name of the substance allocated by mold. He called it penicillin. After conducting a large number of experiments, the scientist was convinced that this substance can kill various kinds of pathogenic bacteria.

In what year were penicillins invented? In 1928, the observance of Alexander Fleming gave the world this miraculous substance for those times.

Production and application

Fleming could not learn how to get penicillin, so first practical medicine was not very interested in his discovery. Those who invented penicillin as a medical drug were Govad Flory and Cheyne Ernst. They, together with their colleagues, isolated pure penicillin and created the world's first antibiotic on its basis.

In 1944, during the Second World War, scientists of the United States were able to industrially receive penicillin. Approbation of the drug took a little time. Almost immediately penicillin began to use the Allied armed forces to treat the wounded. When the war was over, the civilian population of the United States was also able to acquire a miracle cure.

Everyone who invented penicillin (Fleming, Flory, Cheyne), won the Nobel Prize in medicine.

Penicillin: the history of the discovery in Russia

When the Great Patriotic War was still going on, JV Stalin made numerous attempts to purchase a license for the production of penicillin in Russia. But the United States behaved ambiguously. First, we named one sum, it must be said, astronomical. But later it was increased two more times, explaining these increases by incorrect initial calculations. As a result, the negotiations were unsuccessful.

On the question of who invented penicillin in Russia, there is no single answer. The search for ways of producing analogues was entrusted to microbiologist Zinaida Ermolieva. She was able to get the substance, called subsequently krustozinom. But the properties of this drug is much inferior to penicillin, and the technology itself was laborious and expensive.

It was decided to buy a license. The seller was Ernest Chain. After that, the development of technology began and its launch into production. This process was led by Nikolai Kopylov. The industrial production of penicillin was established quite quickly. For this Nikolai Kopylov was awarded the Stalin Prize.

Antibiotics in general, and penicillin in particular, certainly have a truly unique properties. But today, more and more scientists are concerned that many bacteria and microbes develop resistance to such therapeutic action.

This problem now requires careful study and search for possible solutions, because indeed, there may come a time when some bacteria will no longer react to the action of antibiotics.