Sulfanilamide
“The Nazis discovered it. The allies won the war with it…..This incredible discovery was Sulpha.”
[2] Sulfanilamide affected lives of many soldiers especially allies in WWII and saved thousands more people. One of them was Winstion Churchill, who had contracted pneumonia and was rumored to be on his death bead when his physician gave him M + B 693 sulfanamide to cure him[2]). His recovery was crucial t o the country as plans were being made for D day in which Britain played a leading role. About 14000 soldiers of allied countries carried sulfa powder in pouches and were told to apply it immediately to any open wound as to prevent infection(elibrary.bigchalk.com). An incidence that proves the importance of sulfanilamide is when Meningitis outbreak occurred in the French Foreign Legion in Nigeria.When the supply of sulfonamide wass high, the mortality rate was 11%. However, upon exhaustion of the resources the rate climbed up to 75%[12]
Hence this proves that if it were not for sulfonamide in WWI, mortality rates would have been exceptionally higher.
Why did gonorrhea infections substantially increase in WWII despite Penicillin?
That’s because initially penicillin was used as prophylaxis and treatment for gonorrhea and STD’s. However, the bacteria became resistant to penicillin and people were become more promiscuous thinking that they are now “immune” from STDs due to the miracle drug which they thought would protect them from STDs. So, barrier methods were not used and hence this increased the incidence of STDs, resulting in Gonorrhea afflicting around twelve million Americans which has become a serious issue for US government (13).
By the early 1940s STDs decreased dramatically in numbers as Gerhard Domagk and his team of chemists who developed the very first sulfa drugs that were able to treat gonorrhea and other STDs. Sulfa drus preceded penicillin as they first were manufactured in 1932 and carried the “main therapeutic burdern in both military and civilian medicine during the war” (elibrary.bigchalk.com). Sulfa drugs not only helped treat bacterial infections but they contributed greatly to other non bacterial infections.
Sulfa and AIDS today!
The breakthrough in sulfa drugs in the research conducted in 1930 is the door to potential discovery of effective AIDS treatlemt making it a revolutionary antibiotic.
[1]Major, Ralph Hermon.Fatal Partners:War and disease.3rd.London:Doran&Company,1941.
WebsitesDixon,Bernard.”Sulfa’s True Significance.”
[2]2007<http://www.asm.org/ASM/files/ccLibraryFiles//002645/.pdf>.
[3]Kendrick,Douglas,”Plasma equipment and Packaging.” Medical department U.SArmy.06 June 2006. 26 May 2007http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wii/blood/chapter1.htm.
[4]Mailer,John. “Penicillin:Medicine’s Wartime.” Illinois Periodicals Online atNorthern Illinois University. Illionois periodicals online.20 June [5]2011http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/2001/iht810139.html.
[6]17 June 2011http://www.usaaf.net/ww2/medical/mspg5.htm.
[7]http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medicine_world_war_two.htm.
[8]21 June 2011http://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/florey/story.htm.
[9]http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/curriculumca/do3Abigchalk%1.
[10]http://www.mcatmaster.com/medicine&war/penicillin.htm
http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/art‐40417
[11](home.att.net/steinert.htm).
[12]Margotta, Roberto.History of Medicine. Britain:Hamlyn, 1996.
No comments:
Post a Comment