Penicillin

A mold on the bread and suddenly gets a notion that it just might heal disease?
Penicillin is one of the earliest discovered and widely used antibiotic agents, derived from the Penicillium mold. Antibiotics are natural substances that are released by bacteria and fungi into the environment, as a means of inhibiting other organisms - it is chemical warfare on a microscopic scale.

There are number of penicillin types, that react to bacteria in a variety of degrees, some of these are: ampicillin, amoxicillin, flucloxacillin, phenoxymethylpenicillin
Penicillins were one of the first drugs used to treat diseases such as syphilis, and are still in great use in modern day medicine. Many kinds of bacteria however are now penicillin resistant.

There are three main instances where penicillin would be used, these are:



To aid in fighting off a bacterial infection e.g. tonsillitis

To prevent infection for someone with a weakened immune system due to existing illness/condition e.g. someone with sickle cell disease
To give someone's immune system help if they are undergoing treatment which could leave them vulnerable to infection.

Alexander Flemming  for this discovery back in 1928 (penicillin), when he forgot to clean up his workstation before going on holiday. On his return, he discovered that fungus had grown on the cultures he'd been looking at and the bacteria perished in the area of these cultures. Howard Florey and Boris Chain for isolating and purifying penicillin, helping us to use it as an antibiotic. Penicillin has helped to treat many diseases, so when it comes to mind think Penicillin as important scientific discoveries.