The Most Important Discovery in the Last 100 Years

A lot of significant discoveries have been made over the past centuries. While various discoveries in astronomy, science, physics set our lives on entirely different course, I strongly believe that the discovery of the fist antibiotic, penicillin played a crucial role in the history of mankind. Firstly, before the discovery of penicillin some diseases were incurable and any wound could result in death because of bacteria. Though different methods in medicine were used to limit outbreaks and reduce the spread of diseases, researchers did not know how to kill bacteria that caused diseases.

Invented by Alexander Fleming in 1928, penicillin cured a lot of diseases that had caused so much pain and suffering. For example, such illnesses as sepsis and pneumonia were fatal in the majority of cases. Penicillin became the fist drug to defeat those illnesses. Moreover, due the use of penicillin during World War II a tremendous amount of soldiers survived. Penicillin made a major difference in the number of deaths and amputations caused by infected wounds.

This antibiotic was the most powerful, the least harmful and gave quick results. Though being the most limited cure, penicillin saved countless lives during the war. Last but not the least, penicillin played an important role in the increase of world life expectancy. It prevented population from the risk of getting the fatal diseases such as fevers, sepsis and pneumonia and reduced deaths at young ages. To illustrate this, the world life expectancy has doubled over the past two centuries from 45 years in 1920 up to 67 and more nowadays.

Above all, a lot of other types of antibiotics were developed from penicillin, such as amoxicillin, which, in turn has treated other serious diseases and become innovation in medicine. To conclude, the invention of penicillin became a very important event in the history of medicine. The use of penicillin helped to save lives of many people and reduce the number of losses during World War II. It is impossible to imagine the modern life without antibiotics. Due to them people are not in danger of suffering from serious diseases as they were before the invention of the life-saving cure.