4.3.1
Penicillin & Lung Cancer
The Discovery of Penicillin
The Discovery of Penicillin
Alexander Fleming worked in an army hospital in World War 1. He saw lots of soldiers die after their wounds became infected with the Staphylococcus bacteria.
Fleming’s discovery of Penicillin
Fleming’s discovery of Penicillin
- In 1922, Fleming found that lysozyme, an enzyme in tears killed some bacteria.
- In 1928, he accidentally left out some Staphylococcus bacteria in his laboratory. Mould grew on one of the plates with the bacteria and this stopped the bacteria from growing.
- This mould was a fungus called Penicillin. Fleming called it a natural antiseptic (it is actually an antibiotic).
- He published his research in 1929, but this was not recognised immediately.
Chain and Florey
Chain and Florey
- Howard Florey and Ernst Chain read Fleming’s article. They experimented on mice at the University of Oxford and then tested penicillin on humans.
- It worked, but the doctors did not produce much penicillin.
Mass production
Mass production
- The scientists had to find a way to mass produce penicillin.
- In 1939, the British government would not fund the project because they were too focused on the war and chemicals companies were producing explosives.
- In the Second World War, lots of soldiers got infected wounds.
- The USA government funded the team and then Britain in 1943 began to mass produce penicillin.
- Fleming, Florey and Chain won the Nobel Prize in 1945 for their discovery of penicillin.
After the war
After the war
- In 1945, Margaret Hutchinson Rousseau developed the technology to produce penicillin on a large scale. It is estimated that 15% of injured US and British soldiers would have died if they did not have penicillin.
- After the war, chemical companies began to sell penicillin to the general public as an antibiotic. The cost of producing penicillin fell as more was produced.
- Following this, other antibiotics were also developed. This included streptomycin (1944) for tuberculosis and tetracycline (1953) for skin infections.
The role of chance and government
The role of chance and government
- Fleming only discovered penicillin because he accidentally left out some bacteria samples. This was very lucky.
- Penicillin could only really be mass produced because of government funding.
- Again, the importance of funding and communication were important in the development of medicine.
Lung Cancer in the UK
Lung Cancer in the UK
Lung disease became a lot more common in the 20th century.
Lung cancer
Lung cancer
- 36,000 people in the UK die from lung cancer each year.
- Scientists think that 89% of lung cancer cases are "preventable" and these are usually linked to smoking tobacco (cigarettes).
- Smoking became very popular in the First World War.
Scientific advances
Scientific advances
- Doll and Hill found a link between smoking tobacco and cases of lung cancer in 1950. Scientific research (often funded by governments) helped to find this link.
- X-rays and CT scans can create images of people's lungs to help diagnose lung cancer.
- Modern cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy can treat lung cancer, as well as surgery (taking out tumours or a lung).
Government campaigns
Government campaigns
- The Royal College of Physicians recommended stopping tobacco companies from advertising in 1962.
- TV adverts were banned in the UK in 1965.
- Health warnings were put on cigarette packets in 1971.
- In England, smoking in public places was banned in 2007.
Society's attitudes
Society's attitudes
- 19% of men and 15% of women still smoked in 2019, despite these campaigns and scientific advances.
- Although smoking is less common, attitudes in society have not shifted completely. This may be because of complex social factors, as well as the addictive nature of cigarettes.
1Medicine in Medieval England
1.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
1.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
2The Medical Renaissance in England
2.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
2.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
3Medicine in 18th & 19th Century Britain
3.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
3.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
4Medicine in Modern Britain
4.1Modern Understanding of Disease
4.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
5Treatment in WW1
6Themes in Medicine
7Some Extra Context (Not Compulsory for Exam)
7.1Medieval Medicine
Jump to other topics
1Medicine in Medieval England
1.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
1.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
2The Medical Renaissance in England
2.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
2.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
3Medicine in 18th & 19th Century Britain
3.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
3.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
4Medicine in Modern Britain
4.1Modern Understanding of Disease
4.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
5Treatment in WW1
6Themes in Medicine
7Some Extra Context (Not Compulsory for Exam)
7.1Medieval Medicine
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