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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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. … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
We always learned that Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin; but penicillin-like substances have been used in medicine throughout the ages. In fact, we might use these historic practices as a source … Read more
What then caused the penicillin mould to arrive in Alexander Fleming’s petri dish? And why were conditions exactly right at that moment for killing the staphylococci? Even today we don’t … Read more
The story of the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming is well-known. On returning from a holiday on September 3, 1928, he remarks that in a petri dish with a … Read more
The title of our last episode (Pride comes before a fall) may not do justice to the major importance of the sulfas for the further development of medicinal chemistry. In … Read more
Both the UK and the US greet M&B 693 or sulfapyridine with much enthusiasm. In the war years, this message about the sulfas is a much-needed piece of good news. … Read more
In 1937 already, the medical profession in the United Kingdom, France and the United States recognizes the major importance of the sulfanilamide and the other sulfas; for different reasons in … Read more
We haven’t yet told the whole story about the sulfas in Germany during WW II. For further reading we recommend the book by John E. Lesch, already referred to: The … Read more
After Prontosil, the sulfas make a breakthrough. The success really takes off in WW II, in particular in the forces of Germany and its allies. But the success has a … Read more
According to one version of the history of Aspirin, German chemist Felix Hoffmann who works with Bayer, has it all sorted out in 1897. Felix is 29 years old. As … Read more
The success of Salvarsan leads Paul Ehrlich to believe that he will quickly be able to eliminate many other pathogens. In 1914, he addresses the 7th International Medical Congress in … Read more
Many of our readers will know the prominent role played by Germany in the development and the many applications of synthetic dyes. They will also know the name of Justus … Read more
For those living in the 19th century, it was by no means evident that we could use chemistry as a weapon against bacteria. Chemistry was a young science. It found … Read more
In 1913, Hugh Hampton Young returns to the US from the international medical conference in London, deeply impressed by Paul Ehrlich’s chemotherapy. Young works as a surgeon at the Brady … Read more
In 1890, Robert Koch appoints Paul Ehrlich his assistant. Although Ehrlich (1854-1915) is above all a medical doctor (together with Emil Adolf von Behring he develops a vaccine against diphtheria), … Read more
In long-term conflicts, often we can hardly tell when they started, or what their origin was. And who played what part? Often, the beholder is the judge of the answer; … Read more
As soon as World War I had ended, research on infections soared. There was pressure to come up with results, much pressure. Bacterial infections had been responsible for most casualties … Read more