Gerhard Johannes Paul DOMAGK (1895-1964), a biochemist working for the Bayer Corporation in Germany, discovered that azo dyes like prontosil were effective against streptococcal infections in mice. He and others were unconvinced that these compounds would work in humans, because they do not prevent bacterial growth by themselves.  As it turns out, these drugs ARE effective because they are bacteriostatic: i.e. they inhibit growth of organisms, relying on the body’s immune reaction to dispose of the bacteria that can no longer divide. 

In 1932 his daughter cut her hand, contracted a severe infection,  and was near death. In desperation, Domagk gave her a dose of prontosil, and she  made a rapid and complete.  He kept this secret until the clinical studies were over and he had published his findings in 1935. Domagk was awarded the Nobel Prize but the Nazi government refused to let him accept it.

PENICILLIN. Although discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, who observed inhibition of strep colonies by mold, initial attempts to purify penicillin in Oxford in early 1940s were not commercially successful. It was not purified in sufficient quantity to  be useful until 1942 (Pfizer, USA)

In 1929 Alexander Fleming (1888-1955) England, described how a mould Penicillium had destroyed . He did little work with the discovery but it was realized that this could be an approach to destroying bacteria. In 1939 Howard Florey and Ernst Chain at Oxford produced pure Penicillin from the mold and in 1940 they "cured" 4 streptococcus- infected mice while 4 controls died. They then tried penicillin on humans testing it on a policeman who was dying of Staphylococcal septicemia- he responded but they ran out of penicillin, despite recycling it from his urine, and he died. The great value of such a drug was recognized, but wartime Britain did not have the resources to produce it. So that in 1941 Penicillin was given to the USA for production. Penicillin was found to be highly effective against Staphylococcus and Streptococcus 

(adapted from P. Warren, The Medical Treatment of Disease, lecture: http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/medicine/units/history/notes/treatment/) 

INTRAVENOUS THERAPY Used successfully during a cholera epidemic in 1832 by two physicians, Thomas Latta and Robert Lewins,  but not seriously attempted  again for 60 years (until the 1890s).  Usefulness still debated during WW I.

This Webpage was created for a workshop held at Saint Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, California in 1990....x....  ’ “”.