Antibiotics Are A Powerful Form Of Medication

Penicillin was first introduced by Alexander Fleming In September 28,1928 in London . It all started one holiday when Fleming simply forgot to close all the windows and bleach all his dishes. Later on his return Fleming noticed mold in the dishes. As said in the text “Something had killed the bacteria that was covering the jelly. Straight away Fleming saw that this might be important”( AB-Resources for Schools).This shows how Fleming knew something was unique in this bacteria.Some famous word that Fleming said were, “I certainly didn’t plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world’s first antibiotic,or bacteria

The development of penicillin provided a major stepping stone for the practice of medicine, and has saved the lives of countless individuals since its synthesis.

In the mid 1900’s, illnesses swept through the city of London and consumed the lives of many unknowing citizens. Any sickness or open wound was susceptible to a fatal infection, which led the body to be taken over by millions of harmful bacteria (Fogel). Thanks to Alexander Fleming’s encounter of penicillin, we no longer have to worry about this. Penicillin serves as a life-saving, bacteria killing drug that is responsible for the lives of millions. Plus, it played a major role in furthering the effectiveness of medicine. Alexander Fleming’s miraculous discovery of penicillin saved a countless amount of lives and was the basis for progressing medicine.

Antibiotics have always been considered a prodigious innovation. Antibiotics being introduced have established resistance in individuals, animals, and all living organisms. Antibiotics were first discovered in 1932 by Alexandar Fleming, who presented the work that led to production of penicillin. His determination has made an impact to antibiotic medications that are used to destroy bacteria. The use of antibiotics resulted with successful treatments by saving lives. However, some bacteria have now been resistant to antibiotics. The resistant bacteria are not killed nor controlled by antibiotics, they can continue to live and increase. (Cowen 2002). Watsmen described an “antibiotic as a complex compound that has been produced by a microbe that kills or stops the growth of another microbe.”

Antibiotics have always been one of the most reliable drugs in medical history, making them a saving grace for those who suffer from bacterial caused illnesses. Although many types of drugs are used to cure diseases, are antibiotics actually capable of completely “curing” a patient? Many people find antibiotics to be a reliable source when it comes to fighting of an infection, however, when someone either overuses or misuses the prescription of antibiotics, harsh side effects may occur. One of the main problems that comes with the abuse of antibiotics being the resistance of them for future use. This becomes a major problem when further down the road a severe illness is accumulated by someone, but cannot be treated due to the resistance.

Mary Bellis writes in her article “The History of Penicillin” that “antibiotics are natural substances that are released by bacteria and fungi into their environment, as a means of inhibiting other organisms” (123). One particular antibiotic that has been very effective throughout the 20th and 21st century is penicillin. This miracle drug wipes out harmful bacteria, preventing infection and saving hundreds of lives. But how penicillin was actually discovered is an interesting and rather funny tale. From its actual discovery to its development to the amazing effects it has had on mankind and its modern-day influence, penicillin has truly come a long way since 1928.

The misuse of penicillin and other antibiotics however is causing the growing problem of antibiotic resistance in which seemingly harmless infections turn to be deadly and dangerous. Antibiotics are not only casually used as treatments for bacterial infections, but are also used in agriculture and veterinary medicine, creating controversy on the proper uses of antibiotics. As advancements in the medical fields proved to be beneficial for a short period of time, today the misuse of these innovations are creating more and more problems that have proven to be dangerous to the accustomed health of the global population. Antibiotics were not always considered to be a superficial medication and, in fact, have been naturally used for millions of years, like with ants and their symbiosis with antibiotic producing fungi. Humans do not fully realize the value that antibiotics have brought to the population and do not take measures to preserve their use. In contrast, humans take for advantage the natural benefits that is given to them to overly benefit themselves, such as while creating revenue through mass production despite warning from scientists. This selfish misuse leads to consequences in which the future will have to provide solutions for, and perhaps even follow in the ants’ footsteps.

Antibiotics differ from many other drugs in the fact that the treatment is for a very short time compared to drugs used to treat hypertension, diabetes, Parkinson’s, or cancer. The latter disorders have in common that the treatment, from the moment of diagnosis, is life-long. The treatment period for antibiotics is only a few weeks, making the return of investment poor. Increasing demands of authorities in both development and marketing phase and in legislation increase the costs of new antibiotics.[1] [3]

Antibiotics have played an essential role in the fight against diseases and infections since the 1940’s. Antibiotics are a leading cause for the rise of global average life expectancy in the 20th and 21st century. They have greatly reduced illnesses and deaths due to diseases. With the introductions of antibiotics in the 1940’s, like penicillin into clinical practice, formally deadly illnesses became immediately curable and saved thousands of lives (Yim 2006). Antibiotic use has been beneficial and when prescribed and taken correctly their effects on patients are exceedingly valuable. However, because these drugs have been used so widely and for such a long period of time the bacteria that the antibiotics are designed to kill have adapted,

It seems that human can start to overcome most of diseases by using antibiotics without any bad influence. But as time goes by, the side effects show up. The excessive use of antibiotics brings the disadvantages and problems with the heaps of advantages simultaneously. Antibiotics are not only exacerbating the health risk of animals, and human beings, but also exacerbating the environmental impairment. The antibiotics are used to treat and prevent diseases in human beings and animals’ medicine, but there are many kinds of risks deriving from the antibiotics therapies, which include the development and spread of resistant bacteria strains and environmental contamination; besides, the micro-biotic organism is also a big issue we need to concern about.

Many people have died in the past due to infectious diseases. A human with an infection creates another organism which reproduces inside them. Like the pest, one of the most famous diseases killed millions of people in the 14th century. The only way to kill or stop the growth of an infection or bacteria is with antibiotics. The first antibiotic ever created was the penicillin and the greatest one till now. This drug was discovered by Alexander Fleming in the 1920´s but it was introduced in the 1940´s. Scientist began testing penicillin on lab rats but eventually, it was tested in humans. A man contracted a severe infection from a scratch on his face and Penicillin was given to him where he improved dramatically. After World War II, scientists

In the last decade, the number of prescriptions for antibiotics has increases. Even though, antibiotics are helpful, an excess amount of antibiotics can be dangerous. Quite often antibiotics are wrongly prescribed to cure viruses when they are meant to target bacteria. Antibiotics are a type of medicine that is prone to kill microorganisms, or bacteria. By examining the PBS documentary Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria and the article “U.S. government taps GlaxoSmithKline for New Antibiotics” by Ben Hirschler as well as a few other articles can help depict the problem that is of doctors prescribing antibiotics wrongly or excessively, which can led to becoming harmful to the body.

Fleming in 1928. Penicillin helped to treat some common infections: step throat, boils, it would heal wounds quicker, as well as treat more serious infections such as meningitis and pneumonia. Antibiotics usually kill only weak bacteria and after some years of antibiotic usage stronger bacteria have not only survived but also became resistant to the old cure. “Doctors have started to prescribe antibiotics to cure conditions such as ear infections, sinusitis, bronchitis, non-specific upper respiratory tract infections and even common colds and flu… According to the Director of Antimicrobial Resistance, Dr. Richard Besser, each year US physicians write $50 million worth of prescriptions that are ineffectual and unnecessary.” (Elisa Bussey). The more doctors were prescribing antibiotics, the bigger the number of people who become resistant to them. Most of the European countries prescribe antibiotics to kill bacteria only in cases of life threatening conditions. Patients in the US have become accustomed to receiving antibiotics for almost any health concerns and with time, patients have started to expect such prescriptions as a norm.

The original success of antimicrobial agents has had a large influence over America’s dependency of antibiotics. Originally, these agents were widely considered as a cure-all drug by many involved in the health field and by the Americans receiving these medications. Such medical breakthrough won alexander Fleming, the creator of penicillin, a Nobel Prize in 1945 (“Antimicrobial Resistance: Global Report”) Regardless of the beneficial properties his vaccination, he warns that improper use can be followed by great consequences. Today that holds to be very true. For a period of time, there was a rapid rise in the production of different antibiotics to meet the supply and demand of health care prescriptions and patient consumption. Over time,

The overuse of antibiotics has been a problem for well over a decade. This misuse leads to many nonvisible problems arising within the human population. As the use of antibiotics increases, the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria also increases. When bacteria become resistant to an antibiotic, another antibiotic must be used to try and kill it and the cycle becomes vicious. Michael Martin, Sapna Thottathil, and Thomas Newman stated that antimicrobial resistance is, “an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society” (2409).