8. rev significance of the discovery of penicillin

Question 1

Who initially discovered penicillin, and in what year?

Answer 1

Alexander Fleming, in 1928.

Question 2

What major medical ‘age’ did penicillin’s discovery mark the beginning of?

Answer 2

The antibiotic age.

Question 3

What was the main problem with bacterial infections before penicillin?

Answer 3

Common infections (like pneumonia, blood poisoning) were often deadly, and surgery was very risky due to infection.

Question 4

What accidental observation did Fleming make about the mould and bacteria?

Answer 4

A mould (Penicillium notatum) on a petri dish prevented bacteria from growing around it.

Question 5

What was the immediate significance of Fleming’s initial observation?

Answer 5

It showed that a natural substance could kill bacteria, but its full potential wasn’t developed then.

Question 6

Who were the key individuals who later developed methods to mass-produce and purify penicillin?

Answer 6

Howard Florey, Ernst Chain, and Norman Heatley.

Question 7

What was the immediate impact of penicillin in the early 1940s, especially for soldiers?

Answer 7

It was a ‘miracle drug’ for soldiers, dramatically reducing deaths from infected wounds and diseases like gangrene on the battlefield.

Question 8

What was the short-term impact of penicillin after World War II?

Answer 8

It became widely available to civilians, making formerly fatal bacterial infections treatable and leading to a rapid decline in deaths from diseases like tuberculosis and pneumonia.

Question 9

What was the long-term positive impact of penicillin’s success on medicine?

Answer 9

It inspired a massive search for other antibiotics, leading to a wide range of ‘wonder drugs’ that fundamentally changed modern medicine and increased life expectancy.

Question 10

What negative impact has emerged in the long term due to the use of antibiotics like penicillin?

Answer 10

Antibiotic resistance due to overuse.