In the period 1980-2000, pharmaceutical research needs new impulses. The 1950 guidelines are brought to mind again: – we can cure diseases using the proper medicines – we can unlearn bad habits. Although back then, people don’t do this consciously; … Read more
This month, Science magazine devoted a long article to the ‘forest fight’ that rages in Germany. The debate on how the nation should manage its trees. Storms and drought played havoc on many forests over the past three years. Do … Read more
Thirty years after pharma found the way ahead, around 1980 its motor suddenly starts to falter. Interest in the medical profession comes to a low end in a number of areas. The US National Institute of Health (NIH) awards just … Read more
Solar energy is making a breakthrough. Solar panels become cheaper all the time. Therefore, structural problems, like their diluted electricity production, become less important. Even in a country with little space like the Netherlands. But how will solar energy be … Read more
Veterinary use of antibiotics has become a major source of concern and annoyance. And this doesn’t even concern the use as a medicine. For that is dwarfed by the application as an additive to fodder. This may be the most … Read more
We often assume that ecosystems existed in a pristine state when Western researchers first encountered them. But new research now undermines this concept of pristine nature. Ever since mankind existed, it has had a profound influence. Our forbearers promoted certain … Read more
Of course, the successes of sulfas, pens, cefs and all comparable wonderful medicines inspired a lot of research into other applications. Primarily other kinds of infections have been researched a lot, like chronic infections. Likewise, cancer and dementia. And antibiotics … Read more
The recent RethinkX project expects the ‘20s of this century to show revolutionary developments. Driven by stepwise changes in five key sectors of the economy: energy, transport, information, food and materials. Do we see these changes coming? And how does … Read more
Mankind uses antibiotics quite incompetently and irresponsibly. We run into the danger of losing the effectiveness of these great inventions in the treatment of life-threatening infections, through resistance. We even did so within two, at most three generations. We call … Read more
In comparison to most utopian views, RethinkX devotes a lot of attention to the Organizing System required for the transition. It stresses that we cannot just rely on technological innovations. Our thoughts and systems need to coevolve with the new … Read more
Leprosy control has a long history. Once upon a time the disease was looked upon as a divine punishment, leading to social isolation. Later it developed into an infection that can be treated well, if discovered timely. Already in 1873, … Read more
For decades, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) spread the message ‘that the energy transition will happen faster and be less costly than many people think’; in the words of CEO Jules Kortenhorst. And now, their predictions are becoming reality. In … Read more
Up to early 20th century, many doctors still believe that susceptibility to tuberculosis is determined genetically. Fierce discussions between professors and parliamentary inquests do not resolve the question: bacterial infection or hereditary condition. When Koch discovers in 1882 that the … Read more
Modesty is not one of the obvious virtues of the RethinkX authors. The subtitle of their report Rethinking Transportation 2020-2030 (May 2017) reads: ‘the disruption of transportation and the collapse of the internal-combustion vehicle and oil industries’. Brought about by … Read more
The sulfas were a major success; and even more so, the pens and cefs. What next? We are still confronted with infections that cannot – or only ineffectively – be treated by the antibiotics at hand. We also want to … Read more
The second domestication of plants and animals, the disruption of the cow, and the collapse of industrial livestock farming. Nothing could better sum up the pretension of the RethinkX report on food (September 2019) than this subtitle. The disruption of … Read more
In industrial production of the major cephalosporins, we witness a development quite similar to that in the major penicillins. Using very clever chemistry, the 6-APA nucleus of penicillin is transformed into the 7-ADCA nucleus of cephalosporin. Among the products are … Read more
The RethinkX report doesn’t fool around. It starts with a clarion call: ‘We are on the cusp of the fastest, deepest, most consequential transformation of human civilization in history, a transformation every bit as significant as the move from foraging … Read more
In 1972, almost 10 years after Ampicillin, Amoxicillin is introduced on the market. As it seems, to stay there forever. Both products are developed in the lab of the British company Beecham (now a subsidiary to GSK). Amox is by … Read more
Over the past few years, the RethinkX project has made the case for yet another revolution to come. Based on major leaps forward in many technologies; in particular in the fields of information, energy, food, transportation and materials. Five sectors … Read more
In these golden years 1960-1980, semisynthetic antibiotics are produced with very advanced chemistry and technology, in the eyes of contemporaries. But from today’s point of view, many primitive aspects are still present. In particular in comparison with the elder brother, … Read more
It seems as if medical science grows wings, judging by the pace of subsequent successes. Pharmacologists increasingly know how chemical structure determines the action of the medicine. There are signs of resistance to wonder drugs like natural penicillins and cephalosporins; … Read more
We discussed the Bt eggplant project in Bangladesh in an article by Hans Tramper, 3 years ago. It seemed to be very successful. Recently, professor Anthony Shelton of Cornell University reported on the project. He was involved in it from … Read more
In the tumultuous events in the medical realm in the second half of the past century, we witness a remarkable change: the position of high esteem of the individual doctor is being substituted by other professionals. The pole position is … Read more
Under the skin we are still Darwinists. Meaning that all living creatures are in a state of competition with each other. The strong drive out the weak, that’s how progress works. But recent research shows that on the contrary, there … Read more
There are four developments that mark the year 1950 as a turning point in medical history: (1) the overwhelming success of the penicillins, and additionally the cephalosporins and streptomycins, (2) the discovery that life becomes bearable to rheumatic patients through … Read more
Often, people remark that discovery and development of antibiotics are quite unique. This holds true both for the sulfas and for penicillins and cephalosporins. There is a multitude of strange events and chance developments. And yet, we need to announce … Read more
Penicillin’s successes trigger a major search for microorganisms with antibacterial action. Are there any more productive penicillin producing mould varieties out there? Yes, there are. The Italian pharmacologist Giuseppe Brotzu discovers the mould Cephalosporium Acremonium in a sewage outfall at … Read more
A new book by journalist Don Saladino draws our attention to the unification of eating habits across the world. It carries major dangers for our food crops. The genetic variation in the world’s food crops is diminishing very fast. The … Read more
Quite admirable, the fast development of a penicillin of their own at the Gist. And subsequent developments are at least as impressive. In November 1945 already, the Dutch government poses the question if the Netherlands can become self-supportive. And they … Read more
Integration of PV into the economy will become the main task in the years to come. Sustainability in the production chain is becoming more important all the time. The advantage of solar energy used to be that it was renewable: … Read more
In the past few decades, solar energy (PV) has grown a lot; the number of applications has much increased and production has become much more large-scale. Costs have taken a dive, and dramatically so. The ambitions for solar energy are … Read more
At the Gist, there are three main characters involved in the successful development of antibiotics. Professor Kluyver as an advisor. François Gerard Waller as the COO. And doctor Andreas Querido. Querido (1922) is by far the youngest. He has been … Read more
Floating islands as the lungs of a lake. Made from mycelium, sawdust and turfs made from reed. And island strong enough to carry a person and yet flexible enough to move with the waves. Erik Hobijn designed them and now … Read more
When the Oxford team books its first successes, the Germans already occupy the Netherlands for three months. From 1943 onwards, the allies issue a ban on publications on penicillin. And yet, in November 1945 the Nederlandse Gist- en Spiritusfabriek in … Read more
The Earth heats up; and in this process, towns are among the areas most hit. Buildings and streets tend to store incoming radiation. Towns urgently need to be turned greener, if only with the goal to keep them liveable. Green … Read more
In 1943, the allies issue an embargo on all news and publications on penicillin. The subject is declared to be a military secret. But then, the rest of the world has already taken notice of the jubilant press releases in … Read more
This summer, the world has been shocked by disasters, probably caused by climate change. When will the global community take upon it in earnest the task of reducing greenhouse gas emissions? To this end, Dutch researchers have proposed a new … Read more
Lux Research, an international research policy company based in Boston, published a report on sustainable materials policy. What are the most effective policy instruments in this area? Sustainab-ility is growing in importance Lux’s new report, ‘Predicting Policy for Sustainable Materials’, … Read more
The first and most spectacular period in the early development of penicillin now draws to an end. That the events coincided with the Second World War, lent them additional weight. We now end these events with a peak into the … Read more
Formulae are of the essence to chemistry. We make an attempt to tell the story of chemistry versus bacteria in words only; with the occasional illustration. This episode is packed with formulae, with the beta lactam structure as the essence. … Read more
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 … 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 that it will contain the long-awaited kilo of penicillin. But … Read more
Why are the ‘green’ areas in our cities often so uniform? Why are they ‘blandscaped’, to create virtually uniform green spaces that are devoid of local character or distinctiveness? Just attractive to look and easy to manage, but devoid of … 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 kilo at hand would satisfy all his needs. He will … 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 conditions force them to improvise a lot. Much transportation is … Read more
Around the world, meat consumption is on the rise. People eat more meat as they become more affluent. But meat alternatives are becoming popular. They are fashionable; and their environmental footprint is much lower than that of meat. Moreover, their … 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 the best way of administering the drug. If it 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. Which harmful bacteria will be attacked by penicillin? 3. Are … Read more
The Conversation recently devoted attention to the opportunities of genetic technology for warfare. Sure, there are international agreements overseeing (and restricting) such opportunities. But technology evolves all the time. Nations tend to explore the edges of what’s allowed, so we … Read more