Penicillin

Summary
This is an introductory lesson about Penicillin, its discovery, and its benefits.

Objectives
• to describe and discuss what Penicillin is and what it can treat;

• to describe and explain how Penicillin was discovered;

• to briefly describe how Penicillin was purified and mass-produced.

Suggested Grades
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade

Excerpt
In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin at St. Mary?s Hospital in London. It was a huge breakthrough for medicine and for sick people. For ages, doctors and scientists were looking for something to kill germs without harming the patients. There had been many substances found and discovered that would kill germs, such as iodine and arsenic, but the main problem was that they were found to be poisonous if taken in large doses or in the wrong way.

Penicillin was found to be effective as it killed the germs that were causing the diseases, without harming the patient.

Penicillin is an antibiotic that is taken from mold. It can kill bacteria and stop them from growing. Penicillin kills only the bacteria that are growing and reproducing, not the bacteria that are stationery. Penicillin is used to treat infections caused by bacteria. It treats many illnesses, including ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia, meningitis, scarlet fever, and many others.

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