The advent of antibiotics in the 20th century marked a significant leap in medical science, revolutionizing our capacity to combat bacterial infections. Antibiotics, although unknowingly, have been utilized for centuries to manage infections, with some of the earliest civilizations like the ancient Egyptians using mouldy bread on infected wounds. However, before the 20th century, bacterial infections that we now deem relatively straightforward to treat – such as pneumonia and diarrhoea – were the leading cause of mortality in the developed world. It is a testament to the transformative power of antibiotics that they have been able to reduce the impact of these once deadly diseases.
The field of antibiotics experienced a significant turning point in the late 19th century, thanks to the groundbreaking work of German physician Paul Ehrlich. Ehrlich observed that certain chemical dyes selectively colored some bacterial cells and not others. This led him to the conclusion that it should be possible to formulate substances capable of selectively eliminating certain bacteria without harming other cells. In 1909, he made a landmark discovery – a chemical named arsphenamine proved to be an effective treatment for syphilis. This became recognized as the first modern antibiotic. However, Ehrlich referred to his discovery as ‘chemotherapy’, which signifies the use of chemicals to treat a disease. The term ‘antibiotics’ was not coined until 30 years later by the Ukrainian-American inventor and microbiologist Selman Waksman, who discovered more than 20 antibiotics in his lifetime.
In 1928, a fortunate turn of events led Alexander Fleming to a groundbreaking discovery that would forever change the medical world. Renowned for his somewhat chaotic work methods, Fleming had inadvertently left a petri dish of Staphylococcus bacteria unsealed while away on vacation in Suffolk. Upon his return, he noticed an area free of bacterial growth surrounding a contamination of Penicillium notatum fungus. Intrigued, Fleming chose to cultivate this fungus in a controlled environment, further investigating its potential properties. Astonishingly, he found that even when diluted up to 800 times, P. notatum remained highly effective in inhibiting Staphylococcus growth, presenting a less toxic alternative to the disinfectants used at the time. Thus, the powerful antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered.
