Treatment: Phase 5 Advances in Treating Disease 1920-1948 Flashcards
Who was Gerhard Domagk?
He was a chemist who had been inspired by the achievement of Paul Ehrlich’s team
He and Josef Klarer were interested in using chemical dyes as antibiotics as dyes had to stick to this bacteria so it might as well kill it too.
What year did he test Prontosil?
1932
What were his experiments in using Prontosil?
He used a strain of streptococcus bacteria - the same bacteria responsible for scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, pneumonia and strep throat.
He exposed cultures of the bacteria grown in glass dishes to the dyes to determine whether any of the dyes could kill the bacteria outright. But after exposure to Prontosil the bacteria continued to thrive.
What was the speed of the discovery thanks to?
New powerful Electron Microscopes
Explain his experiments of Prontosil in mice
He infected a group of mice with a lethal dose of streptococcus.
He gave some of the mice Prontosil but not all.
The mice that did not receive Prontosil died and the ones that were given Prontosil didn’t get sick.
Explain Domagk’s tests of Prontosil on humans
He had been testing it on humans as he was partnered with a nearby hospital.
He tested it on his own daughter and she was cured of the streptococcus bacteria within two days.
When did Domagk publish his report on Prontosil?
1935
How was Domagk’s report viewed?
With great skepticism. At the time a lot of doctors didn’t even think it was possible to fight diseases with chemical cures
What did British hospitals manage to do with Prontosil?
They recreated the results of the clinical trials using it to cure puerperal fever.
Which president’s son used Prontosil?
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s son. To cure a severe strep throat infection
What other advancements were made with Prontosil?
- It was developed by French scientists who found the drug could be used to cure tonsillitis, puerperal fever and scarlet fever
- May and Baker, British scientists found a version of the drug could be used against pneumonia
What were the disadvantages to Prontosil and other sulphonamide drugs?
They could damage the kidney and liver
They were ineffective against highly virulent (severe) microbes
What is penicillin?
An antibiotic. It kills life that is harmful to living creatures e.g. bacteria.
Who had look into penicillin before Fleming?
19th Century - John Sanderson discovered a mould called penicillium
1880s Joseph Lister noted it should be used to treat infected wounds. Tried this with a nurse but left no notes on it.
Who was Alexander Fleming?
A scientist at St Mary’s Hospital in London
Working on staphylococci. Germs that make wounds go septic.
What were his interest in antibiotics?
He became interested in the natural bacterial action of the blood and in antiseptics. He was able to continue his studies throughout his military career.
Explain the steps of the discovery of penicillin
In 1928, he observed that a mould had accidentally developed on a staphylococcus culture and it had created a bacteria free circle.
He found that a mould culture prevented the growth of staphylococci, even when diluted 800 times. He called it penicillin.
He grew more of it and experimented against anthrax and diphtheria
It was the first example of a naturally occurring antibiotic.
He treated a friend who had meningitis with it
He wrote a paper in 1929 about it
What were the problems with Fleming and penicillin?
He did little with his discovery
How did Florey and Chain investigate penicillin? (Investigation up til animal trials)
In 1939 they assembled a team of pathologists to study penicillin.
After the outbreak of war they asked the British government to fund the team’s research
They used milk bottles, milk churns, a dog bath and a hand pump to make a few grams of pure penicillin
They tested it on 8 mice who were injected with steptococci. Four mice were given penicillin - they lived.
What was the first human trial of penicillin?
In 1941
Albert Alexander was near death as a result of a bacterial infection.
His doctor, Fletcher used penicillin on him.
They did not have enough and he died but it showed that penicillin could be used on humans.
How did the USA joining the war impact the use of penicillin?
1942 - The US government gives $80 million to 4 drug companies to find a way to mass produce penicillin
1943 - Mass production began. First used by the British army in North Africa
1944 - Enough penicillin available to treat all casualties of D-Day
1945 - US army uses 2 million doses of penicillin a month.
What was the impact of penicillin?
Became widely available after the USA’s entry into the war
It is estimated that 12-15% more Allied soldiers would have died without penicillin. It also halved the average amount of time an Allied soldier spent in hospital.
What factors were there that influenced changes and developments of the search for cures to infectious diseases
Technology - the Industrial Revolution provided scientists with new types of microscopes, dyes, labs and technical equipment.
Good luck - some of the discoveries were down to chance e.g. Fleming wasn’t searching for penicillin when he came across it
Competition - scientists were constantly in competition. Koch and Pasteur are an example
Government - The British government-funded research into penicillin in 1939 and the US government offered money for mass production
War - medical advancements are often accelerated through war as governments want to reduce death.
