In Our Time cover image

Penicillin

In Our Time

CHAPTER

The Origins of Bacteria

In World War One, a microbiologist was shocked by the number of patients who died because of blast wounds. He found that antiseptics were very good on the surface but did a lot of damage when it got into the wound. It actually stopped some of the body's healing processes from working. So he went back to his lab and started looking for antibacterial substances made first of all in bodily secretions - lysosine. Can we take that story up, Laura Piddick?

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