Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 2.2 Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, with a bacterial dish containing
a ring used to test antibiotics. The ring would be soaked with a solution of the test
compound and placed on a plate with the bacteria to see if, after a day or so, the
bacteria growth was stopped near the ring.
to form into a pill, more stable in the acidic conditions of the
stomach, and more likely to be absorbed from the stomach into the
bloodstream. They also may make the antibiotic less susceptible to
being broken down by the bacteria being targeted, make it effective
against more types of bacteria, and make it less likely to harm the
patient. All these changes help a health-care provider match the
appropriate antibiotic to the patient's infection.
The discovery of antibiotics has had a major medical impact.
Between 1900 and 1996, U.S. death rates due to infection dropped
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