3. The first use of penicillin
(1928)
The British bacteriologist
Alexander Fleming discovered that penicillin could be used to cure infections.
This discovery also initiated a new way of treating patients who suffer
from disease. Antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines are now routinely
used to save lives, prevent diseases, and improve the quality of life.
Many "wonder drugs" were discovered by isolating active
substances from natural sources. Others were identified from folk medicines
or by examining the effects of chemicals synthesized in the laboratory.
The new challenge for the
next century will be to design materials that form chemical bonds to
specific parts of DNA and other genetic material. These materials should
be useful in treating cancer and other illnesses that result from diseased
states in the human cell.
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