CHEMIS-TREE: THE IMPORTANT ROLE NATURE PLAYS IN MODERN MEDICINE

Lottie Houghton (WHS) The discovery of penicillin has been proven to be pivotal in modern medicine, providing treatment for many infections caused by bacteria. The ancient Egyptians had the practice of applying mouldy bread to infected wounds, which indicated their primary knowledge that penicillin, although not named yet, had antibiotic healing powers. It was recognised as the first anti-biotic and named penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928. Fleming found that his mould was capable of killing a wide range of bacteria including streptococcus, meningococcus and diphtheria bacillus. Although Fleming never isolated and purified, without his discovery, many thousands of lives would not have been saved during World War 2, where the drug first started to be used, with the help of the American pharmaceutical companies which could produce the drug on a much larger scale. After the war, civilian demand for the new drug increased with more than 6.8 trillion units of penicillin being produced in the US in 1945. The acceleration of penicillin production was one of the most successful achievements of American chemists and chemical engineers, establishing the production of antibiotics and helping to create today’s pharmaceutical industry. So not only did the production and discovery of penicillin save hundreds of thousands of lives against bacterial infections, but also inspired a pharmaceutical movement into the isolation and synthesis of antibiotics hence its importance in modern medicine. Aspirin’s discovery and use is one of the most important pharmacological achievements of the twentieth century. It was first used in modern medicine in 1897 but similarly to penicillin was recognised to have healing powers by Egyptians, Sumerians and later Greeks and Romans in which time was extracted from willow bark and used as an antipyretic and a painkiller. More recently, in 1763 Reverend Stone was one of the first who described their antipyretic effects and the medical research continued into the 19th century involving chemical synthesis and extraction. A chemist named Felix Hoffmann synthesized aspirin in 1897 and 70 years later the pharmacologist John Cane discovered its ability to allow the production of prostaglandins, which are a group of lipids made at sites of tissue damage or infection which control processes of inflammation, formation of blood clots, blood flow and the induction of labour. Aspirin was originally used as an antipyretic (to prevent or reduce fever) or anti-inflammatory drug, however it became very important in preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. More recently, there has been growing evidence of aspirins chemo-preventative effect against colorectal cancer among other types and is now awaiting results of primary drug trials. Digitalis is a drug derived from Foxglove which is used to treat arrhythmia which is when there is a problem with the rhythm or rate of the heartbeat. It was discovered in 1775 by William Withering, a Scottish doctor who was seeking alternative treatment from a gypsy in which a herbal remedy included digitalis as the active ingredient. The drug works by slowing the heart rate but also increasing the intensity of muscle contractions, it is only effective in small doses. Digitalis is still used today to treat congestive heart failure and heart rhythm problems as well as increase blood flow and reduce swelling. In conclusion trees and nature play a very pivotal role in modern medicine treating headaches, cancer, bacterial infections and heart diseases.