Introduction

In 1928, the Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming made an accidental discovery. It turned out to be one of the most revolutionary medical breakthroughs in history. Penicillin became the world's first mass-produced antibiotic and added around 20 years to average human life expectancy across the globe. The more humanity has leaned on antibiotics in our war against disease, the less effective they have become. So just how much do physicians lean on these drugs?