The Dhaka Times Desk Throughout the ages, people have faced various problems and discovered their solutions. Penicillin is one such outstanding discovery of medical science. Alexander Fleming began to work on how to protect against various diseases caused by bacteria.
After many experiments, he accidentally discovered an antidote called penicillin. It is the first antibiotic discovered in the world that protects against various diseases caused by bacteria. Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming, a physician and bacteriologist.
In 1921, Alexander Fleming was working in the laboratory of St. Mary's Medical School in England. He was suffering from cold for a few days. A sudden severe sneeze occurred while working in the laboratory on bacterial cultures. Fleming couldn't help himself, before removing the germ set, a sneeze from his nose fell on the germ set!
Seeing that the whole thing was ruined, he put the set aside and started working with a new set. The next day, when he entered the laboratory and looked at the set, he thought that he would wash the set and work again. But Fleming was shocked when he picked up the set. Surprisingly, yesterday's germs are no more! The antidote that came out of his body destroyed the germs. He named this antidote Lyso.
Then in 1928, Fleming was researching staphylococcus bacteria in a laboratory in London. During this research, he went to spend a two-week summer vacation in Scotland. As he left, he left the staphylococcus in a glass container and accidentally left the laboratory window open. Although it was a mistake, Fleming made one of the most amazing discoveries in the history of medical science.
Returning to the laboratory after a two-week vacation, he discovered that some leaves of grass from the laboratory garden had flown through the open window in a gust of wind onto a plate full of bacteria. He observed on the plates a clear change in the bacterial culture. Fleming realized that there was something in these weeds that had changed, and by testing, a fungus had grown on the weeds. When those fungi were selectively placed on the germs, the germs were destroyed! He realized that his long-term research has finally paid off! The fungus' scientific name was Penicillium notatum, so he named it penicillin.
Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, but he had no idea how it could be used to prevent disease, how effective it was, or whether it had any side effects in the body. Despite his lack of knowledge of chemistry, Fleming had no idea how to chemically prepare penicillin when he discovered it.
Penicillin was made suitable for human use by two scientists - Howard Walter Florey and Ernst Boris Chain.
In 1938 they started detailed research on penicillin. In the 1940s, they first tested some organisms with surprisingly good results. But human trials were needed to determine the final results. Suddenly that opportunity also came. A policeman sustained minor injuries on the face. The wound caused by it became contaminated and the bacteria spread in the blood. Doctors gave up all hope of his life. On February 20, 1941, Professor Florey decided to test penicillin on this dying man. He was given penicillin four times at three hour intervals. After 24 hours it was found that the one who had no hope of recovery was almost recovered. In this incident, everyone could realize the revolutionary impact that penicillin was going to have in the field of medical science. Dr. Chain made the penicillin powder in a special way and Dr. Florey applied it to various patients. Later, penicillin was widely used to treat wounded patients in World War II.
Alexander Fleming was overjoyed to see the wide application of his invention to human welfare.
In 1945, Alexander Fleming was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of penicillin and its outstanding contribution to human welfare. On receiving the award, Fleming joked, "God should get this award, because he is the one who made everything happen."
Penicillin is the most important discovery in medical science. Alexander Fleming will forever be immortalized in the pages of history as the reward for a small mistake in life. From this we learn that many things can be discovered even from mistakes.
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