All About Penicillin
Originally discovered by Ernest Duchesne,a French medical student, in 1896 penicillin was rediscovered more than 30 years later in England by Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming. It is one of the earliest discovered and most widely used antibiotic agents ever. However, at the time of its discovery and rediscovery no one seemed to fully understand its importance. In the 1940s Howard Florey and Ernst Chain isolated the active ingredient and developed a powdery form of the medicine. This is when it was first put to work and began to have a serious impact on the medical world.
Penicillin Put to Use
Penicillin is used to treat bacterial infections and cause the infection to be cured. It is currently the standard antibiotic treatment prescribed by doctors for bacterial infections in wounds, from sexually transmitted diseases, like gonorrhea, and diseases spread by animals and insects. We find penicillin very useful today but back in the war times it was extremely practical. Since many battles were fought in farming fields more soldiers died due to infected wounds than to the actual injury. Penicillin was able to save the lives of hundreds of soldiers and kept troops in shape to continue fighting!
The Pacemaker
Until the beginning of this year I never really knew what a pacemaker was and I'm happy to share a bit of information about it with you today! Until I actually learned about the pacemaker the first thing I ever thought about when I heard the word was the song "I'm A Hippie" by Spek. Part of the chorus goes "... I need a pacemaker that's built to last" I never understood that part, but now I do so let me share my insight! Born in 1919 was Canadian John Hopps, inventor of the cardiac pacemaker. Hopps earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Manitoba in 1941 and joined the National Research Council in 1942. At age 30, in 1949, Hopps began working at the Banting Institute at the University of Toronto. That is where he made the unexpected discovery of the pacemaker. This discovery would later be improved in 1958 by a Swedish team, whereby the pacemaker could be put into the human body. In 1984 Hopps needed his own pacemaker to save his life. 13 years later he required a replacement.
Function of the Pacemaker
The pacemaker may be used after damage to the body's intrinsic conduction system to produce rhythmical impulses synthetically. It regulates the frequency of the heart beat, and it coordinates the contraction of the heart muscle, so that the heart beats efficiently. However, pacemakers do not take over the work of the heart they merely help to regulate the timing of the heart beat.
How It's Done
The pacemaker has two main parts, the generator and the leads. Most pacemakers have two leads, one connected from the generator to the right atrium and the other from the generator to the right ventricle. The pacemaker leads detect the heart’s own electrical activity and transmits that information to the pacemaker generator. The generator analyzes the heart’s electrical signals, and uses that information to decide whether, when, and where to pace. If the heart rate becomes too slow, the generator transmits a tiny electrical signal to the heart, thus stimulating the heart muscle to contract.
Conclusion
These two discoveries may not be on the top of everyones list when it comes to medical breakthroughs but they are important nonetheless. I wanted this to be an interesting blog, not the same thing you read before or that you're going to read after! I hope you enjoyed it and have a new appreciation for these two medical advances seeing as they benefit the lives of thousands each day. One day you may find yourself relying on either penicillin or a pacemaker, maybe you'll think of my grade 11 bio blog too. I hope we continue to see more medical breakthroughs throughout the rest of my life. I have no desire to pursue a career in the sciences but for all of you that do good luck, I expect big things!
Resources
http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/Penicillin.htm
http://www.ehow.com/facts_4914662_what-does-penicillin-treat.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081226085328AA6kCN6
http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/arrhythmias/a/pacemakers.htm
