PENICILLIN: THE WONDER DRUG 

In the year 1928, a Scottish bacteriologist named Alexander Fleming came across a rather strange occurrence while he was sorting out petri dishes, which contained Staphylococcus. This is a bacteria that is widely known to cause various types of infections collectively know as the Staph infections, which are related to various parts of the body like the skin, bones, bloodstream, joints and even internal organs.  While sorting out these dishes, Alexander noticed something particularly intriguing in one of them. This unusual petri dish was dotted with Staphylococcus colonies, symbolising the growth of the bacteria. However, there was a specific area where this bacterial growth was absent, and instead a pellet of mold was growing in it. Additionally, the area around this peculiar mold had no bacteria around it, suggesting that this mold was releasing a substance that was inhibiting bacterial growth. This magical mold, as one could call it, was later identified as Penicillium notatum, which produced  the first ever antibiotic: Penicillin.

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Soon enough, Fleming discovered that the substance the mold released was effective against bacteria like streptococcus pyogenes, streptococcus pneumoniae, and corynebacterium diphtheriae, which are examples of gram-positive bacteria, a type of bacteria that has thick cell walls which aid in their protection.

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Popularly known as the wonder drug during World War II, it has been recognised for rescuing thousands of soldiers with infected wounds and has revolutionised medicine by drastically changing the course of infectious disease treatment. Eventually, penicillin was manufactured in large quantities, giving doctors their first real weapon against infections.

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This serendipitous discovery by Alexander Fleming has proved to be one of the greatest of the century in medicine and has paved the way for modern antibiotics, transforming healthcare and saving countless lives.

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                                                                                                              By Ananya Munukutla