Report on the history of the discovery of penicillin. The incredible discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming

The world-famous inventor of antibiotics is the Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming, who is credited with the discovery of penicillins from molds. This was a new turn in the development of medicine. For such a grand discovery, the inventor of penicillin even received a Nobel Prize. The scientist achieved the truth through research and saved more than one generation of people from death. The ingenious invention of antibiotics made it possible to destroy the pathogenic flora of the body without serious consequences for health.

What are antibiotics

Many decades have passed since the advent of the first antibiotic, but medical workers around the world and ordinary people are well aware of this discovery. Antibiotics themselves are a separate pharmacological group with synthetic components, the purpose of which is to disrupt the integrity of the membranes of pathogenic pathogens, stop their further activity, quietly remove them from the body, and prevent general intoxication. The first antibiotics and antiseptics appeared in the 40s of the last century, and since then their range has expanded significantly.

Useful properties of mold

Antibiotics, which were produced from mold fungi, help well against the increased activity of pathogenic bacteria. The therapeutic effect of antibacterial drugs in the body is systemic, all thanks to the beneficial properties of mold. The discoverer Fleming managed to isolate penicillin using a laboratory method; the benefits of such a unique composition are presented below:

• green mold suppresses bacteria resistant to other drugs;
• the benefits of mold are obvious in the treatment of typhoid fever;
• mold destroys painful bacteria such as staphylococci and streptococci.

Medicine before the invention of penicillin

In the Middle Ages, humanity knew about the enormous benefits of moldy bread and a certain type of mushroom. Such medicinal components were actively used to disinfect purulent wounds of combatants and prevent blood poisoning after surgery. There was still a lot of time before the scientific discovery of antibiotics, so doctors drew the positive aspects of penicillins from the surrounding nature and determined them through numerous experiments. They tested the effectiveness of new drugs on wounded soldiers and women in a state of childbed fever.

How were infectious diseases treated?

Not knowing the world of antibiotics, people lived according to the principle: “Only the strongest survive,” according to the principle of natural selection. Women died from sepsis during childbirth, and soldiers died from blood poisoning and suppuration of open wounds. At that time, they could not find a means to effectively cleanse wounds and prevent infection, so healers and healers more often used local antiseptics. Later, in 1867, a surgeon from Great Britain identified the infectious causes of suppuration and the benefits of carbolic acid. At that time, this was the main treatment for purulent wounds, without the use of antibiotics.

Who invented penicillin

There are several conflicting answers to the main question of who discovered penicillin, but it is officially believed that the creator of penicillin is Scottish professor Alexander Fleming. Since childhood, the future inventor dreamed of finding a unique medicine, so he entered medical school at St. Mary's Hospital, from which he graduated in 1901. Almroth Wright, the inventor of a vaccine against typhoid fever, played a colossal role in the discovery of penicillin. Fleming was lucky enough to collaborate with him in 1902.

The young microbiologist studied at Kilmarnock Academy, then moved to London. Already in the status of a certified scientist, Flemming discovered the existence of penicillium notatum. The scientific discovery was patented, and the scientist even received a Nobel Prize after the end of World War II in 1945. Prior to this, Fleming’s work had been repeatedly recognized with prizes and valuable awards. People began taking antibiotics for experimental purposes in 1932, and before that, studies were carried out mainly on laboratory mice.

Developments of European scientists

The founder of bacteriology and immunology is the French microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who in the nineteenth century described in detail the harmful effects of soil bacteria on the causative agents of tuberculosis. The world-famous scientist proved by laboratory methods that some microorganisms - bacteria can be destroyed by others - mold fungi. The beginning of scientific discoveries had been made, and grandiose prospects opened up.

The famous Italian Bartolomeo Gosio invented mycophenolic acid in his laboratory in 1896, which became known as one of the first antibiotic agents. Three years later, German doctors Emmerich and Low discovered pyocenase, a synthetic substance that can reduce the pathogenic activity of diphtheria, typhoid and cholera pathogens, and demonstrate a stable chemical reaction against the vital activity of microbes in a nutrient medium. Therefore, the debate in science on the topic of who invented antibiotics continues to this day.

Who invented penicillin in Russia

Two Russian professors, Polotebnov and Manassein, argued about the origin of mold. The first professor claimed that all the microbes came from mold, but the second was categorically against it. Manassein began to study green mold and discovered that there were no colonies of pathogenic flora near its location. The second scientist began studying the antibacterial properties of such a natural composition. Such an absurd accident in the future will become a true salvation for all humanity.

Russian scientist Ivan Mechnikov studied the effect of acidophilus bacteria with fermented milk products, which have a beneficial effect on systemic digestion. Zinaida Ermolyeva generally stood at the origins of microbiology, became the founder of the famous antiseptic lysozyme, and is known in history as “Lady Penicillin.” Fleming realized his discoveries in England; at the same time, domestic scientists worked on the development of penicillin. American scientists also did not sit in vain.

Inventor of penicillin in the USA

American researcher Zelman Waksman was simultaneously developing antibiotics, but in the United States. In 1943, he managed to obtain a synthetic broad-spectrum component called streptomycin, effective against tuberculosis and plague. Subsequently, its industrial production was established in order to practically destroy harmful bacterial flora.

Timeline of discoveries

The creation of antibiotics was gradual, using the enormous experience of generations and proven general scientific facts. For antibacterial therapy to be so successful in modern medicine, many scientists “had a hand in this.” Alexander Fleming is officially considered the inventor of antibiotics, but other legendary figures also helped patients. Here's what you need to know:

• 1896 - B. Gozio created mycophenolic acid against anthrax;
• 1899 - R. Emmerich and O. Lowe discovered a local antiseptic based on pyocenase;
• 1928 - A. Fleming discovered an antibiotic;
• 1939 - D. Gerhard received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the antibacterial effect of Prontosil;
• 1939 - N.A. Krasilnikov and A.I. Korenyako became the inventors of the antibiotic mycetin, R. Dubos discovered tyrothricin;
• 1940 - E.B. Chain and G. Flory proved the existence of a stable extract of penicillin;
• 1942 - Z. Vaksman proposed the creation of the medical term “antibiotic”.

History of the discovery of antibiotics

The inventor decided to become a doctor following the example of his older brother Thomas, who received a diploma in England and worked as an ophthalmologist. Many interesting and fateful events happened in his life that allowed him to make this grand discovery, provided him with the opportunity to productively destroy pathogenic flora, and ensure the death of entire colonies of bacteria.

Research by Alexander Fleming

The discovery of European scientists was preceded by an unusual story that occurred in 1922. Having caught a cold, the inventor of antibiotics did not wear a mask while working and accidentally sneezed into a Petri dish. After some time, I unexpectedly discovered that the harmful microbes had died at the site of saliva contact. This was a significant step in the fight against pathogenic infections, an opportunity to cure a dangerous disease. A scientific work was devoted to the result of such laboratory research.

The next fateful coincidence in the inventor’s work occurred six years later, when in 1928 the scientist went on vacation with his family for a month, having previously cultured staphylococcus in an agar-agar nutrient medium. Upon returning, I discovered that the mold had been separated from the staphylococci by a clear liquid that was not viable for bacteria.

Preparation of the active substance and clinical studies

Taking into account the experience and achievements of the inventor of antibiotics, microbiology scientists Howard Flory and Ernst Chain at Oxford decided to go further and began producing a drug suitable for mass use. Laboratory studies were carried out over 2 years, as a result of which the pure active substance was determined. The inventor of antibiotics himself tested it in a society of scientists.

With this innovation, Flory and Chain treated several complicated cases of progressive sepsis and pneumonia. Subsequently, penicillins developed in the laboratory began to successfully treat such terrible diagnoses as osteomyelitis, gas gangrene, puerperal fever, staphylococcal septicemia, syphilis, syphilis, and other invasive infections.

In what year was penicillin invented?

The official date of nationwide recognition of the antibiotic is 1928. However, this kind of synthetic substances had been identified earlier - at the internal level. The inventor of antibiotics is Alexander Fleming, but European and domestic scientists could compete for this honorary title. The Scot managed to glorify his name in history thanks to this scientific discovery.

Launch into mass production

Since the discovery was officially recognized during the Second World War, it was very difficult to establish production. However, everyone understood that with his participation millions of lives could be saved. Therefore, in 1943, under conditions of hostilities, a leading American company began serial production of antibiotics. In this way, it was possible not only to reduce mortality rates, but also to increase the life expectancy of the civilian population.

Application during the Second World War

Such a scientific discovery was especially appropriate during the period of hostilities, since thousands of people died from purulent wounds and large-scale blood poisoning. These were the first experiments on humans that produced a sustained therapeutic effect. After the end of the war, the production of such antibiotics not only continued, but also increased in volume several times.

The significance of the invention of antibiotics

Modern society to this day should be grateful that the scientists of their time were able to come up with antibiotics that were effective against infections and brought their developments to life. Adults and children can safely use this pharmacological prescription, cure a number of dangerous diseases, and avoid potential complications and death. The inventor of antibiotics has not been forgotten in modern times.

Positive points

Thanks to antibiotics, death from pneumonia and childbed fever became rare. In addition, there is a positive trend in such dangerous diseases as typhoid fever and tuberculosis. With the help of modern antibiotics, it is possible to destroy the pathogenic flora of the body, cure dangerous diagnoses at an early stage of infection, and eliminate global blood poisoning. The infant mortality rate has also decreased noticeably; women die during childbirth much less often than in the Middle Ages.

Negative aspects

The inventor of antibiotics did not know then that over time, pathogenic microorganisms will adapt to the antibiotic environment and will no longer die under the influence of penicillin. In addition, there is no cure for all pathogens; the inventor of such a development has not yet appeared, although modern scientists have been striving for this for years, decades.

Gene mutations and the problem of bacterial resistance

Pathogenic microorganisms by their nature turned out to be so-called “inventors”, since under the influence of broad-spectrum antibiotics they are able to gradually mutate, acquiring increased resistance to synthetic substances. The issue of bacterial resistance is particularly acute for modern pharmacology.

Video

The incredible discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming.

In 1928, bacteriologist Alexander Fleming made an accidental discovery that was caused by an unwashed Petri dish. The soil that contaminated the experiment turned out to contain a powerful antibiotic, penicillin. And although Fleming was credited with the discovery, it was more than a decade before anyone else turned penicillin into the panacea of ​​the 20th century.

How was this "Petri dish" noticed before it was washed? How did the land get there? Who managed to transform discovered natural penicillin into a useful drug?

Accidental Discovery.

On a September morning in 1928, Alexander Fleming sat at his desk at St. Mary's Hospital.

He had just returned from a vacation, which he spent at his country house with his family. Before he went on vacation, Fleming stacked several of his petri dishes on one side of the bench so that his colleague Stuart R. Craddock could use the free space to work while he was away.

Returning from vacation, Fleming began sorting through unattended laboratory stacks to determine which ones could still be used in the work. Many were contaminated. Fleming soaked them all in a solution of Lysol (cresol soap) to eliminate bacteria and then use these dishes in further experiments.

Much of Fleming's work focused on finding a "miracle cure." There were a lot of bacteria around; Anthony Van Leeuwenheck described them in 1683. It was only at the end of the nineteenth century that Louis Pasteur confirmed that bacteria cause disease. Despite this knowledge, before Fleming, no one had yet been able to find a chemical that would kill harmful bacteria without harming the human body.

Earlier in 1922, Fleming had already made an important discovery - lysozyme. Quite by accident, when he had a runny nose, a small drop of mucus fell onto a saucer with growing bacteria. Fleming was amazed. The bacteria have disappeared. This is how a natural substance found in tears and nasal mucus was discovered that helps in the fight against germs. However, it turned out that it was very effective against bacteria that are not pathogens, and completely ineffective against disease-causing organisms. Then Fleming thought about the possibility of finding another substance that could kill bacteria without harming the human body.

And then in 1928, a former laboratory employee, D. Merlin Preece, came to see Fleming. Fleming took advantage of this situation to find out about the possibility of additional income, since Preece was already working in another laboratory. To demonstrate his research, Fleming began rummaging through a large pile of laboratory glassware and samples that he had placed in a Lysol solution and pulled out several that were not completely submerged in the bacteria-killing liquid.

And then, picking up one of the records to show Pris, Fleming noticed something strange.

During his absence, mold grew on the glass. But that in itself was not strange. But the fact that this mold seemed to kill the staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus) located on the plate was already something. Fleming realized that this mold had untapped potential.

What kind of mold is this?

Fleming spent several weeks growing as much of this mold as he could and trying to determine what the specific substance was that killed the bacteria. In the end, it turned out that this was a rather rare type of mold, and it came to him from the laboratory below the floor in which Mr. La Touche worked.

His neighbor collected a large assortment of different types of mold for John Freeman's asthma research, and it is likely that some of the spores made their way to Fleming's laboratory. This was again a happy accident.

Fleming continued numerous experiments to determine the effect on other harmful bacteria. What was surprising was that the mold, while killing a large number of bacteria, was at the same time non-toxic to humans.

Could this be a "miracle cure"? Fleming did not know this. Although he felt the potential of his discovery and guessed about its prospects. Fleming was not a chemist and was therefore unable to isolate the active antibacterial element, which he named penicillin. Moreover, he would not be able to keep this element active long enough to use it on humans. In 1929, his work on penicillin was published, which, by and large, did not arouse scientific interest at that time.

And, nevertheless, the sloppiness of the Canadian scientist and at the same time his observation became the reasons for the great discovery.

Twelve years later.

In 1940, during the second year of World War II, two scientists at Oxford University were pursuing promising projects in bacteriology that could be expanded and continued using chemical methods. Australian scientist Howard Florey

and German refugee Ernst Chain began working with penicillin. Using new chemical methods, they were able to produce so-called "black powder" that retained its antibacterial power for longer than several days. They studied the powder for a long time and found that its use is absolutely safe for humans.

After several years of hard work, they were able to synthesize a quantity of coffee-colored powder, which they tested on 117 volunteers. This was the first, although not quite pure, but still high-quality penicillin. The first injections of the newly created drug were made on February 12, 1941. One of the English policemen cut himself with a razor while shaving. A blood infection has occurred. The first injection of penicillin helped the dying man. However, there was very little penicillin and its reserve soon ran out. The disease relapsed and the patient died. But science celebrated. Penicillin has been confirmed to work very well against blood poisoning. After a few months, scientists managed to obtain enough penicillin to save a human life.

The front line needed a new drug immediately, so mass production began quite quickly. The use of penicillin during World War II saved many lives that could have been lost due to bacterial infections in even minor wounds. Penicillin also treated diphtheria, gangrene, pneumonia, syphilis and tuberculosis.

Fame.

Although Fleming discovered penicillin, it was only Flory and Chain who worked hard to make the product usable. Although only Fleming and Florey were knighted in 1944, all of them (Fleming, Florey and Chain) were awarded the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Additional information on the topic.

Few people know, but Soviet scientists were among the first to develop the technology for preparing penicillin. Zinaida Vissarionovna Ermolyeva achieved a lot in studying the properties of penicillin and obtaining this drug. In 1943, she set out to master the preparation of penicillin, first in the laboratory and then in the factory.

The discovery of any drug always provokes a huge resonance in society. After all, this means that another disease can be treated, which means there is an opportunity to save even more lives. The emergence of new medications was especially significant during the period of mass death - wars, which marked the 20th century.

Of course, the scientist who discovered a vital drug is awarded laurels of honor, and his name remains memorable in the history of mankind.

Penicillin is the most important discovery of the 20th century. Its discovery and other important facts will be discussed further.

Antibiotic discovery

Penicillin is one of those discoveries that happen by chance. However, its significance for humanity is enormous.

It was the first antibiotic discovered, derived from the mold Penicillum.

The first to discover penicillin was a bacteriologist from England, Alexander Fleming. His discovery happened suddenly, during research on molds. During the experiment, he found that molds of the penicillum species contain an antibacterial substance, which was later called penicillin. In what year this antibiotic was discovered is known for certain. March 7, 1929 is a fairly significant date for science and for humanity in general.

Alexander Fleming: biography

Alexander Fleming, the scientist who discovered penicillin, was born on August 6, 1881 in Ayrshire. His parents were ordinary people who had nothing to do with science.

When Alexander was 14 years old, he moved to work in the capital of the United Kingdom with his brothers. Initially, he worked part-time as a clerk while attending the Polytechnic Institute. With the onset of 1900, the future scientist entered service in the London Regiment.

A year later, Fleming receives an inheritance of £250, which at that time was a substantial amount. On the advice of his older brother, he takes part in a competition to enter medical school. He passes the exams with flying colors and becomes a scholarship student at the medical school at St. Mary's Hospital. Fleming successfully studied surgery and in 1908 became a Master and Bachelor of Medical Sciences at the University of London.

In 1915, Fleming married nurse Sarah McElroy, with whom the scientist had a son. His wife died in 1949, and in 1953 Fleming married for the second time. His second chosen one was his former student, bacteriologist Amalia Kotsuri-Vurekas. Two years later, Alexander Fleming died. The brilliant scientist who discovered penicillin died of a heart attack. At that time he was 73 years old.

Where it all started

Alexander Fleming was always interested in scientific activities, despite the fact that he graduated from medical school. In his experimental impulses he was very careless. His comrades noted that in the laboratory where Fleming worked, there was always chaos, in which reagents, drugs, instruments - everything was scattered all over the room. For this he was repeatedly reprimanded. Therefore, we can say with confidence that penicillin was discovered in complete disorder and absolutely by accident.

Long before the discovery of penicillin, during the First World War, Fleming went to the front as a military doctor. In parallel with providing assistance to injured soldiers, the young scientist was researching bacteria that penetrated wounds and provoked serious consequences for the wounded.

In 1915, Fleming wrote and presented a report in which he proved that the open wounds of victims contained most types of bacteria that were not yet known to scientists of those years. In addition, he was able to prove, contrary to the opinion of many surgeons, that antiseptic drugs used for a short period of time are not able to completely destroy bacteria.

On the issue of obtaining a new drug with antibacterial effects, Fleming supported the ideas of his boss, Professor Wright, who believed that all used antiseptics are not only unable to destroy most bacteria in the body, but also lead to a weakening of the immune system. Based on this, a new drug was required that would activate the body’s immune activity, as a result of which the body would become able to independently fight viruses.

Fleming zealously began to develop his hypothesis that the human body should contain substances that can suppress the spread of bacteria that have entered the body. It is worth considering that the concept of antibodies became known no earlier than 1939. The scientist began to carry out experimental work on all body fluids, namely, he watered bacteria cultures with them, observing the result.

Everything was decided by chance

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin by chance. Until 1929, all his research did not bring much results.

In 1928, the scientist who later discovered penicillin began to study bacteria of the Coccus genus - staphylococci. The research did not bring the expected results, so Alexander decided to take a break and took a vacation, leaving the laboratory at the end of the summer. Naturally, the place of work left by the scientist was in complete disarray.

Returning in early September, Fleming discovered that mold had appeared in one of the Petri dishes containing colonies of bacteria, which caused the death of staphylococci.

Having examined the resulting mold mass, the scientist came to the conclusion that it was a fungus of the species Penicillium notatum and that it contained an antibacterial substance that could destroy bacteria. And only in March 1929, Fleming was able to isolate an antiseptic from these molds, giving it the name “penicillin”. Since that time, Fleming has been recognized as the scientist who first discovered penicillin. And the time of this great discovery marked the beginning of the development of antibiotics.

Penicillin. Structure

Penicillin is the first antibiotic developed in the last century, but it still does not lose its importance.

This antiseptic is obtained through the life processes of certain types of mold. The most active one is called benzylpenicillin. The drug is able to fight streptococci, pneumococci, gonococci, meningococci, diphtheria bacillus, spirachetes. But it is not able to suppress activity in diseases caused by E. coli microbes.

In modern science, there are two ways to obtain this drug:

1. Biosynthetic.

2. Synthetic.

According to its chemical structure, penicillin is an acid from which it is possible to obtain various salts. The main molecule of this antibiotic is 6-aminopenicillanic acid.

How does an antibiotic work?

The principle of action of penicillin is based on the fact that it suppresses chemical reactions due to which the vital activity of bacteria is carried out. In addition, the antibiotic eliminates molecules that serve as building blocks for new bacterial cells. It is important that, while penicillin has a detrimental effect on bacteria, it does not harm the human or animal body at all, since the cell membrane of human and animal cells is much stronger than that of bacteria.

Discovery of penicillin in Russia

Zinaida Vissarionovna Ermolyeva is the Soviet microbiologist who discovered penicillin in Russia, or rather in the USSR.

During the Great Patriotic War, hospitals were overcrowded with wounded soldiers. The mortality rate from infections introduced into wounds was colossal. And penicillin, which was an excellent antibiotic, came to the rescue in this matter.

In the West, this antiseptic was actively used, bringing positive results. The authorities of the Soviet Union negotiated with foreign representatives on the issue of purchasing the antibiotic. However, the matter was significantly delayed. In this regard, there was a need to create our own penicillin.

The solution to this problem was entrusted to the Soviet microbiologist Ermolyeva. And already in 1943 she received “her” antibiotic, which was recognized as the best in the world.

So which scientist discovered penicillin? Alexander Fleming remains the discoverer.

Who else is involved in the discovery of penicillin?

In the 40s of the last century, several more scientists contributed to the improvement of the first antibiotic.

British bacteriologists Howard W. Florey, Ernst Chain and Norman W. Heatley were able to develop and obtain a pure form of penicillin. This development contributed to saving millions of lives during World War II.

This life-saving discovery brought its owners the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “For the discovery of penicillin and its healing effects in various infectious diseases.”

Conclusion

More than 80 years have passed since the most important discovery - penicillin. However, this antibiotic has not lost its advantages. Rather, on the contrary, it has undergone some changes: over time, more advanced types of antibiotics have been obtained from it - semi-synthetic ones.

Of course, a huge number of antibiotics have now been obtained, but the overwhelming majority of these medicines are based precisely on the discovery of the medicinal properties of penicillin.

The significance of the first antibiotic in history is invaluable, and therefore, we should not forget who discovered penicillin. Alexander Fleming is a scientist who laid the foundation for a new stage in the development of medicine.

Humanity has traveled a difficult and thorny path along the path of its development. Over the past millennia, thousands of great discoveries and outstanding inventions have been made in various areas of human life. One of these greatest discoveries, which made a real revolution in medicine, was invention of penicillin- the world's first antibiotic. At the beginning of the 20th century, humanity became fully accustomed to such inventions as the telegraph, telephone, radio, car, airplane and dreams of space exploration. And at the same time, thousands of people around the world continued to die from typhus, dysentery, pneumonic plague and even pneumonia, and sepsis became a death sentence. The idea of ​​fighting microbes with the help of the microbes themselves was put forward in the 19th century. Thus, as a result of research carried out by Louis Pasteur, it was found that under the influence of certain microbes, anthrax bacilli die. A recently discovered thesis by medical student Ernest Duchesne shows that as early as 1897 he was using mold (the penicillin it contains) to combat bacteria that infect the human body. He conducted his experiments on guinea pigs to treat typhus. Unfortunately, the opening was not completed due to the sudden death of E. Duchesne.

Officially, the British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming is considered the inventor of the first antibiotic (penicillin), and the date of its discovery is September 3, 1928. While studying staphylococci, the scientist noticed that a month later mold fungi had formed on one of the culture plates, destroying the colonies of staphylococci previously placed there. Fleming classified the fungi grown on a plate with staphylococci as belonging to the genus Penicillium, and called the isolated substance penicillin. Further studies showed that, in addition to staphylococcus, penicillin also affects pathogens that cause scarlet fever, diphtheria, pneumonia and meningitis. Unfortunately, the remedy he isolated turned out to be powerless against paratyphoid and typhoid fever. In 1929, the scientist published a report on his discovery in the English Journal of Experimental Pathology. Further research showed that the production of penicillin was slow, and the scientist was unable to purify and extract the active substance. Until 1939, Fleming failed to develop an effective kuttura; the new drug was very unstable. Fleming worked on improving it until 1942.

In 1940, biochemist E.B. actively tried to purify and isolate penicillin. Chain and bacteriologist H.W. Flory, already in 1941 enough penicillin had been accumulated for an effective dose. A 15-year-old boy with blood poisoning was the first to be saved thanks to the antibiotic he received. For the discovery of penicillin, E. Chain, A. Fleming and W. H. Flory received the Nobel Prize for three in 1945. All three refused patents for the invention of penicillin, believing that a drug that could save humanity should not become a source of profit. This is the only case where no one has ever claimed copyright for an invention of such magnitude. Thanks to penicillin and the victory over dangerous infectious diseases, medicine was able to extend a person’s life by 30-35 years.

During World War II, the production of penicillin on an industrial scale was established in the United States, which saved the lives of tens of thousands of wounded soldiers. After the war, the method of producing antibiotics was significantly improved, Since 1952 it has found practical application on a global scale. With the help of penicillin, previously fatal diseases such as osteomyelitis, syphilis, pneumonia, and puerperal fever were cured, and the development of infections after wounds and burns was excluded. Antibacterial drugs were soon isolated. Antibiotics became a panacea for all diseases for several decades. In the Soviet Union, great credit for the creation of a number of antibiotics belongs to the outstanding microbiologist Z.V. Ermolyeva. She is the first Russian scientist to study interferon as an antiviral agent. According to Professor W. H. Flory himself, the penicillin that Z. V. Ermolyeva received was 1.4 times more effective than the Anglo-American one. The first portions of penicillin were obtained by Ermolyeva in 1942. Soon, thanks to her, mass production of the Soviet antibiotic was established.