Facts- Medicine Flashcards
Who did St Mary’s Hospital send to study infections in wounded soldiers during WWI?
Alexander Fleming
What germ caused septicaemia / Infections?
Staphylococci
How did Fleming discover penicillin in 1928?
By chance. Mould formed in one of his petri dishes while he was on holiday. It had killed the germ inside.
What test did Fleming fail to do which would have proved useful?
He failed to inject penicillin into the blood stream.
Who developed the work of Fleming?
Florey and Chain who started to experiment on mice and humans in 1941.
Who did Florey and Chain first experiment on?
A policeman who had an infection from a rose. After initial improvement he died as there wasn’t enough antibiotic available.
How did war affect penicillin?
War sped up production due to large injury rates.
Describe penicillin use during World War Two.
In 1943 1,000 soldiers were helped but by 1945 250,000.
What % of soldiers would have died without penicillin during WWII?
15%
How did the government help with penicillin production after WWII?
There was a huge sponsored programme to produce the ‘wonder drug’ and it was used to treat diseases such as; bronchitis, wounds, abscesses and tonsillitis.
Can you name three other antibiotics produced after penicillin?
Streptomycin for treating TB, Tetracycline for skin infections and Mitomycin used against cancer.
Which drug for sleeping resulted in the birth of babies with poorly formed limbs?
Thalidomide
Name two antibiotic resistant superbugs.
MRSA and Norovirus
When was the first open heart surgery performed?
1950
When was the first kidney transplant in the UK?
1960
