Happy 94th Birthday Penicillin

[jlerollblues]

Just a thought to ponder fellow DU'ers:

Got enough on your mind with Covid? Well, think abut this: On this day in 1928 penicillin was discovered. Think about it, nearly 100 years. Our whole anti-biotic system is in desperate need of a fundamental overhaul. We could be in need of a "moonshot" like effort for anti-biotics, don't rely on profit driven pharma.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2021/12/27/super-gonorrhea-may-be-spreading-from-antibiotic-overuse-for-covid-19-coronavirus/amp/

For those interested I post my Covid forecasts on twitter, the latest always pinned to my profile @jlerollblues This current wave will likely match January's. BA.4/5 are basically ignorant of vaccines and "natural" immunity. As I continue receiving infusions for cancer I am astounded how little concern is exhibited by the mask less masses for others that are immune suppressed and humanity in general.

Hope you all have a gratifying 4th,
jlerollblues

[cyclonefence]

1. During WWII the father of a friend of mine was a surgeon

at a public health hospital which was one of the first US recipients of penicillin from England (we were sent it only after we joined the Allies). It arrived as mold, a slime inside big glass jugs. No one knew what a "dose" was; there was no specification about how to use it. Dr. Strax (for such was his name) scooped up a handful and put it directly on the brain of a WWI vet whose head wound from the first war had never healed properly. The man suffered terrible headaches and occasional eruptions of pus from the wound. After a particularly bad episode, Dr. Strax cut open the man's skull and applied the penicillin, then closed it back up. The man was healed almost immediately and left the hospital after only a few days, never to suffer from the wound again.

I suppose because no bacteria infesting us had ever been subjected to any antibiotic, penicillin was indeed a cure-all. I know wounds had been treated with sulfur, but I (again) suppose that it had lost effectiveness over time--it had been around a long time.

[jlerollblues]

2. Thanks

That is quite interesting. Thanks for sharing. The early history of penicillin is quite fascinating.

[crickets]

3. K&R for visibility.