Introduction - Historical Notes
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Success with antibiotics
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Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955)
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In 1928-29, the British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovered and named penicillin, which, together with other, later developed antibiotics, eventually became the most effective treatment of syphilis and other bacterial infections. Fleming was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1945. However, during WW II penicillin was first used only for the treatment of wounded soldiers. Only in the late 1940s did it became available in sufficient quantities and could be used on a larger scale. Beginning in the 1950s, it was widely used for the treatment of STDs, and the results were truly impressive. In combination with a massive public education campaign, the new treatment resulted in a dramatic decrease of syphilis infections.
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