BCH311H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Prontosil, Selman Waksman, Gangrene
1 Feb 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
He was appauled by the working children in asia and china. U(cid:374)til a(cid:374)ti(cid:271)ioti(cid:272)s, do(cid:272)tors (cid:272)ould(cid:374)"t do a(cid:374)ythi(cid:374)g for i(cid:374)fe(cid:272)tio(cid:374)s. Prior to 1940, it was infections, not bullets, that killed the most people. It was between 1910 and 1960 that we learned how to develop antibiotics. Hata screened hundrends of molecules to kill syphilis in rabbits. The right drug was only useful if it was used in the correct doses. Gerhard tested hundreds of dyes to see which ones could kill strep infections in animals. Prontosil was inactive until it was cleaved in the animals blood. Over the next few years he tried to isolate the killing particles. The first batched of penicillin were rapidly excreted from the body. The scientists would purify it from the patients urine and readminister it. They also made drug that would prevent the kidneys from excreting it. Penecillin is effective against gangrene, strep and staph, along with others.
