Development of Penicillin and Antibiotics

Question 1

Front: Why is the development of penicillin considered a major medical breakthrough?

Answer 1

Back: It saved countless lives and revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections.

Question 2

Front: What challenge has arisen with the use of antibiotics over time?

Answer 2

Back: Some bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics.

Question 3

Front: What limitation of penicillin was discovered?

Answer 3

Back: Some people are allergic to penicillin.

Question 4

Front: How did penicillin’s success impact the pharmaceutical industry?

Answer 4

Back: It inspired drug companies to research and develop other general antibiotics.

Question 5

Front: Why was penicillin nicknamed the “wonder drug”?

Answer 5

Back: It was the first antibiotic effective against multiple types of bacteria.

Question 6

Front: What percentage of wounded Allied soldiers were estimated to have survived because of penicillin?

Answer 6

Back: 15%.

Question 7

Front: How much penicillin was used monthly by the US Army by the end of WWII?

Answer 7

Back: 2 million doses.

Question 8

Front: When was there enough penicillin for Allied soldiers?

Answer 8

Back: By D-Day in June 1944.

Question 9

Front: How much funding did the American government provide for penicillin production?

Answer 9

Back: $80 million.

Question 10

Front: Why did Florey and Chain move to the USA in 1942?

Answer 10

Back: To escape German air raids and access better funding and technology for mass production.

Question 11

Front: What happened during the first human test of penicillin?

Answer 11

Back: The patient improved but later died because they ran out of penicillin.

Question 12

Front: When was penicillin first tested on a human?

Answer 12

Back: 1941.

Question 13

Front: What were the results of the first penicillin experiment on mice in 1939?

Answer 13

Back: Four treated mice survived deadly microbes, while four untreated mice died.

Question 14

Front: What technology did Florey and Chain use to grow penicillin in 1939?

Answer 14

Back: Freeze-drying technology and milk bottles.

Question 15

Front: Why did World War II encourage penicillin research?

Answer 15

Back: The British government funded drug development to save soldiers’ lives.

Question 16

Front: When did Howard Florey and Ernst Chain decide to develop penicillin?

Answer 16

Back: In 1937, after reading Fleming’s paper.

Question 17

Front: Why couldn’t Fleming continue his research after publishing his findings in 1929?

Answer 17

Back: He lacked funding and couldn’t grow or harvest enough penicillin for practical use.

Question 18

Front: What did Fleming believe about how the penicillin spore got into the petri dish?

Answer 18

Back: He thought it had blown in through the window.

Question 19

Front: How did Fleming discover penicillin?

Answer 19

Back: He noticed a circle in a petri dish where bacteria had been killed, caused by a penicillin spore.

Question 20

Front: What year did Alexander Fleming discover penicillin?

Answer 20

Back: 1928.