Essay on Antibiotics And Its Effect On War
Antibiotics are a variation of medicines used to treat a plethora of bacterial infections and diseases. NPS describes antibiotics to work by, “[..] blocking vital processes in bacteria, killing the bacteria or stopping them from multiplying. This helps the body's natural immune system to fight the bacterial infection (NPS MedicineWise, December 18, 2019,).” Bacterial infection and disease are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in humans for the majority of human existence.
The first antibiotics discovered were by a man named Alexander Fleming. In the 1920s Fleming had been cleaning up his lab where he accidentally discovered a naturally occurring substance that killed and weakened a petri dish of bacteria. The suspect who attacked the bacteria had been deduced to be a mold. The mold had attacked Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, a bacterium that causes severe and deadly infection. It was later realized the mold itself was not attacking the bacteria but a substance the mold produced which Fleming named penicillin. Penicillin is a miracle drug in which Fleming had only studied its antiseptic properties. Fleming shortly after publishing his research on penicillin gave up on any further research due to lack of interest and funding.
When other drug companies and researchers were made aware of penicillin they went to work. Researchers such as Edward Abraham, Ernst Chain, and Howard Florey saw the potential of penicillin and began all sorts of trials. The trials were slow and tedious due to a lack of supplies and funding. At the time the world was recovering from WWI and preparing for the beginning of WWII.
In a transition from animal trials to human trials, the researchers even had to create their own collection vessel. The reason was due to the insufficiency of using BEDPANS which were previously their protocol for collecting penicillin.
The researchers spent years testing ideas and collecting information which simply concluded, that; when purifying/synthesizing penicillin you could potentially inject humans with it safely. When penicillin is safely injected it can kill any severe bacterial infection or disease. In an interesting attempt to test their theory the researchers treated a policeman at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, England. The police officer had been diagnosed with a severe case of staphylococcal and streptococcal infection. When treating the policeman their trial had been going successful and the policeman’s condition was improving. Despite the partial success, the trial ended in a disappointing failure. The trial had been going successfully for over 5 days but then they had run low on penicillin. The researchers resorted to recollecting penicillin from the patients’ urine. When the urine collected penicillin had not been enough to complete the trial they gave up on their efforts. The policeman’s condition reverted to being severe, later resulting in his death.
Although the policeman’s trial was a failure it gave the researchers and penicillin hope. Their theory had been correct and they then knew penicillin could work if they would perfect it. Following were over 170 human trials in just one year. The results from the trial were astounding. Infections that had once killed millions and caused mass-producing would now be treatable.
The scientist had the blueprint but needed backing for funds, facilities, and supplies. This resulted in the researchers traveling and pleading to U.S. drug companies, research facilities, and the military. Drug companies such as Charles Pfizer & Co., Merck, E. R. Squibb & Sons, and Lederle Laboratories began mass-producing penicillin alongside the researchers. Even with the drug companies’ aid, the production was still not great enough for the countless people in need, a great number being injured soldiers. It was then that they knew they had needed the military backing and the military needed penicillin.
Soldiers were dying who did not have life-threatening injuries (from today's standard). Some died from cuts that were infected or diseases spread throughout military camps. Military doctors and nurses could do little to nothing until they were finally given antibiotics that fought the infection. Mrs. Dorothy K. Warham recalls when she first witnessed what penicillin was capable of, “[..] The first time I saw it [penicillin] used was very dramatic. The patient was a young man with blood poisoning. He had a swollen and infected leg. No treatment so far had had any effect and death was inevitable. It was decided to try this new drug and there was quite a ceremony- doctors and nurses all in masks and white coats. This wonder drug was a yellowish liquid in a bottle brought in a box and placed on a stand. It was administered by a drip by needle into the muscular infection. This was over a long period, then dropped directly into the muscle and was quite painful. However, within an hour there were dramatic signs of improvement, the inflammation subsided and his temperature reduced. It seemed like a miracle- I suppose it was! Because of the legacy, penicillin became used generally very quickly and saved many lives (''BBC - WW2 People’s War - the First Use of Penicillin” 2005).”
On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States felt their freedom was attacked. The United States soon after joined WWII and began the beginning to the end. The United States had few advantages over the axis but one was their ability to treat their injured. The mold which produced penicillin had been sent to many around the world. However, the allied powers refused to put it in their enemys’ hands and even those who were invaded refused the Nazis’ demands for the mold. The allies successfully secured a miracle drug the axis could never produce.
Military strategists and scientists got 21 U.S companies joined together and produced over 2.3 million doses of penicillin. With the doses of penicillin produced US soldiers were headed for the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
June 6, 1944, the allies attacked from air, sea, and land at a greater force than before. The allies were victorious in breaching the fortress of Europe and the Nazis had to retreat to Germany. Hitler and his forces didn’t give up and prolonged the war for over another year. Nevertheless, by the end of it, all the Allies were victorious and WWII had come to an end.
After the war had concluded penicillin was then cheap and widely available to the public. It had not been a wise decision on mankind's part and Fleming, the discovery of penicillin, warned people who would listen from the beginning. However, his remarks made little to no change and today researchers are seeking to find a new miracle drug that won’t become resistant to bacteria.
