Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 23. Credit where credit’s due?
On August 27, 1942, the Times publishes an editorial on penicillin’s wonderful achievements. The paper urges government to take at hand industrial production as soon as possible. And now happens what Florey had feared: a lot of interest in the medicine is being aroused; so much interest that it invokes a large demand, so large
Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 22. ‘America First’
By the end of 1941, Heatley starts working at Merck. He quite regularly exchanges letters with Florey. And Florey receives an enormous box from the United States. He is sure that it will contain the long-awaited kilo of penicillin. But the amount appears to be just 5 grams. That will be all from the US.
Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 21. Still no kilo available
Because of war conditions, Florey doesn’t succeed in securing more money or means for his project of scaling up penicillin production. He thinks that for the time being, having one kilo at hand would satisfy all his needs. He will have to use 5.000 m3 of fermentation broth in order to produce that. There is
Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 20. Scaling up
Often, because of shortages of penicillin, the Oxford team has to suspend or modify its animal tests or clinical programs. Shortages not always overcome by penicillin recovered from urine. War conditions force them to improvise a lot. Much transportation is done by bike, often in the dark with very little illumination. Project ‘100 years of
Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 19. The battle of Britain
In April and May 1940, the Oxford team tests its brown powder on cats, rabbits, rats, mice and other animals. The animals stay healthy. They also discover that injection is the best way of administering the drug. If it is swallowed, the functionality disappears in the stomach. But they also observe that the medicine’s activity
Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 18. Penicillin beats the sulfas!
Four major questions dominated the Oxford research on penicillin. We review them in good order. 1. How do we grow as much mould as possible, while maximizing penicillin production? 2. Which harmful bacteria will be attacked by penicillin? 3. Are there any harmful effects of penicillin on the body? 4. What is the chemical structure
Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 17. The Oxford team
Eventually, a team of Oxford University succeeds in the production and purification of penicillin. But a strange team it is; it never grows into some kind of unity. It consists of Ernst Chain, Howard Florey, Norman Heatley, Margaret Jennings and Edward Abraham. Their research is their only point in common. Several books have described in
Chemistry vs. bacteria, # 16. The Sulfas have the upper hand
The metaphor of a football game befits our theme. Football is war, isn’t it? Project ‘100 years of antibiotics’ Episode 14. Riddles and coincidence Episode 15. Historic antibiotic agents Episode 16. The Sulfas have the upper hand Episode 17. The Oxford team Episode 18. Penicillin beats the sulfas Let’s take the years 1920-1950 to be
