Show penicillin latest triumph of medical research marks another long step toward distant goal magic germ E killer was discovered by fortunate accident by A AL L JEDLICKA Ite Belen lessed Bed by western newspaper union it is back in 1929 prof alexander fleming 0 of f london discovers that a mold growing in a container which he is using in research has killed certain germs although professor fleming does not enter into a thorough investigation of the phenomenon he takes the time to make a note of it suggesting that ma maybe abe the mold could destroy germs in human infections other english scientists go to work on the mold and in 1940 find it effective in human treatment P penicillin the magic drug has ha been discovered and like so m many a ny grea great I 1 t other discoveries by chance penicillin is not the greatest nor the final discovery in media medicine ine but it is the latest and among the most effective momentarily climaxing medicines long steady march forward on the path of alleviating mans pain sought by king and commoner alike penicillin has proven its usefulness in inthe the treatment of streptococcus pyo genes a germ that causes pus and promotes diseases like septic sore throat childbed fever and erysipelas of staphylococcus aureus another pus forming germ found in bolls boils and in infections of the bone ot of the pneumonia and therla theria germs of the organisms that cause gonorrhea gas gangrene meningitis and syphilis in Chi cagos modern museum ot of science and industry at the toot foot of lake michigan in Jack jackson sori park dr milan novak head of the department of bacteriology and public health of university ol of illinois college of medicine has established a public exhibit demonstrating the processes in the present production of penicillin the penicillin exhibit is just one of many in the museums medical section which Is under direction of dr E J carey dean of the marquette university medical school milwaukee wis in this section we are given a graphic picture ot of mans gradual development of curative remedies from the early uses of vegetable and mineral substances seven benefactors one exhibit pictures seven great in men 1 I en a and nd their works which have given mankind boundless relief from its physical illnesses karl kail wilhelm 1742 as who discovered chlorine the constituent of common compounds like salt tartaric tartar lc acids which make fruits taste sour manganese the metallic element necessary for plant development and oxygen the most universal of all elements pelletier Pell etler and Caven tou who in 1820 extracted quinine the active now Z ii 7 U k 1 0 4 medicinal constituent nt ot of cinchona cin ebona the wrinkled brown bark found by the Spaniards in peru in 1630 and most effective in treating malaria louis jacques thenard 1857 who found f boric acid and hydrogen peroxide frederick belding powder 1853 1927 1027 who worked on development of oil of peppermint and wintergreen and also oil ot of chaulmoogra a source of certain chemical compounds tor for use in treating leprosy bernard Cour courtois 1777 1838 who isolated iodine in 1811 when he ob served that washings from seaweed ashes gave off purple vapors when treated with sulphuric add acid and then turned into crystals which contained the element now so useful in medicine antohne bilard 78 who discovered bromine in 1828 moderns its as well as oldsters find the museums replica ot of the century american apothecary shop an interesting contrast to the present stream streamlined llred drug store I 1 to say eay the least the old apothecary shop ranked as a colorful spectacle as well as a popular medicinal center what with w ith its big square jars of black white zinc sulphide reddish tincture of serpent and gold spirits od oratus drawers contained emery talcum manna creta and iris of interest is the IM century doctors bulky varnished medicine case which he carried in his saddlebag as he made his rounds through the country in the case one can find quinine turkey rhubarb essence of peppermint fire ot of magnesia essence of ginger and tincture of orange peel on the counter of the apothecary shop stands a box ot of herbal smoking mixture for cure of catarrh bronchitis asthma hay fever lung disease coughs hoarseness ulcerated ulcerate throat and all pulmonary complaints pla ints the customer merely being a asked to soke smoke m and inhale it hard by the replica of the old apo apothecary theoary shop we find a dru drug 9 exhibit depicting century medicinal advances from the discovery of alkali alkaloids ids in 1816 1810 to the develop 4 s 0 the first time the rare drug was ever released for civilian use was in the case of patricia malone two year old new york city girl who was suffering from the staphylococci type of septicemia the army gave enough penicillin to halt the disease when appealed to by a new york newspaper men ment I 1 of hormones for treatment of glandular gla n du 1 ar deficiencies deficient cien aes I 1 in 1801 1901 with the introduction of coal tar synthetic drugs in 1884 and thyroxin thy roxin in 1893 1693 grouped between the magic drug the climatic and currently most interesting exhibit of course is the one dealing with the growth of penicillin from a mold to a refined liquid containing the drug which al 7 ah e V W A J za M prof alexander fleming discoverer of penicillin li Is shown with i bottle otil holding cultures cult of f no kottum not tatum tum as n be h converses con Tene with two tw visiting turkish doctors docton in his london laboratory where b he md made thi the remarkable experiments ready has become an awesome magical byword step by step the exhibit demonstrates on the processes of producing penicillin first theres the stock culture with a mold similar to but not identical with green molds found on fruits or cheese shown growing on jell like base containing sugar second the spores seeds from the stock culture are transferred to a nutrient solution containing sugar and they germinate into white woolly plants in three days the mold covers the surface of the liquid this mold creates penicillin which collects in the nutrient but not in the mold plants third as the mold plants mature their color changes anges from white to gray green because of the development of numerous spores seeds at this stage the solution contains a maximum amount of penicillin and the culture Is ready tor for collection if allowed to become too old the penicillin to in the liquid loses sorn some e of its strength I 1 fourth the first step in collecting the penicillin is to remove the mold growth from the liquid by filtration since the plant itself contains none of the drug the liquid thus filtered possesses small amounts of penicillin an elaborate process of extraction and absorption is used to concentrate and remove the penicillin from the liquid fifth the purification process removes objectionable substances if left to in its yellow brown solution form penicillin loses some of its strength but is relatively stable as a powder into which it Is converted by commercial production when penicillin is to be injected into a patient it is dissolved A hypodermic syringe is used for tram tra muscular injection and if intravenous injection is desired a blood transfusion apparatus Is used penicillin must be tested regularly for strength in the cup method melted agar is uniformly ir inoculated with test bacteria which cannot grow to in the presence of penicillin and is placed in a round dish to solidify small glass cylinders are put in the solidified agar and filled with a penicillin solution which then seeps outward into the infected mold the test bacteria grow and cloud the agar except where their growth Is stopped by the penicillin the size of the clear zone is proportional to the strength of the penicillin if penicillin is hard to get its because its production is limited by its growth from a large batch ol of the nutrient solution only a relatively small amount of penicillin is obtainable tai As yet no co synthetic method to produce the drug on a mass scale has been developed and until some such process is installed the civilians share will be strictly determined ter mined by the military and nava naval services needs |