Medical Miracle

Eddie Klenow

Mrs. Baker

Literary Analysis

28 February 2019

Eddie Klenow
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Mrs. Baker

Literature Analysis

26 February 2019

Medical Miracle

Medical advancements in todays age seem to be overlooked as to how they started and

continually keep improving. Going back nearly one hundred years, scientists thought that there

was no reasonable way to eliminate unheard of cases such as the Spanish Flu, Measles, and

Rickets. Throughout the era, scientists just used previous ideas from others in the mid 1800s and

demonstrated and purified many medical vaccines. Over the course of the 1920s, the medicine

industry became highly significant in finding a cure for diabetes, prevention for STDs, and using

mold as a major component of an antibiotic.

Adding mold to the mix of vaccines and antibiotics quickly gave scientists such as

Alexander Fleming a tiny perspective on how impactful it is in everyday medicine. Diseases and

infections that were devastating the twenties are now minor setbacks in a days time to cure.

According to a study from the National Library of Medicine, “... the mold was able to kill

bacterial strains such as strep throat, staph infections, pneumonia, syphilis, and gonorrhea.” Mold

was a major key to the opening of the medical evolution. Alexander Fleming stumbled across a

fuzzy white particle floating through the lab and decided to possess it and look at it under the

microscope. It turns out that it was penicillium, a spore that causes bacteria to slow down and

even explode.

Now that the medical advancements were underway, doctors now knew symptoms and

could identify what the patient had. Deadly diseases such as AIDS plagued the United States and

a brave venereologist by the name of V.M. Bronner was one of the first to successfully make a
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prevention. He could clinically prove and indicate what problem was which was a major

milestone. Bronner directed his attention towards finding a prevention for STD outbreak across

the nation everyday. His discoveries led to him being able to deteriorate syphilis over the course

of time. V.M. Bronners clinical advancements led to a decreased death rate from STDs and also

gave a small piece of insight as to what the medical field would soon transform into.

Introducing insulin into the medical system gave those with diabetes a new life and

decreased the death rate among the people of our country. There was always insulin around but

they were always a little ways away from it being able to cure diabetes. According to an online

article, “With the help of James Collip insulin was purified, making it available for the

successful treatment of diabetes.” Purifying insulin allowed it to reverse the effects of diabetes

and allowed the patient to continue living, now diabetes free. Due to inadequate research devices

back then, the rough estimate for those that had diabetes throughout our population was around

40%. As that number started to deplete down to 35% and 30%, citizens realized the outstanding

accomplishment made by the scientists who helped in purifying insulin.

The 1920s are definitely overlooked when it comes down to the question as to which time

period was the most crucial to the medical revolution. Todays medicine would not be as

advanced if it wasn’t for those, back then, that contributed in vaccinations, insulins, antibiotics,

etc. The scientists contributions included finding the cure for diabetes, using mold as an

ingredient for vaccinations, and also finding a way to prolong life if diagnosed with STDs.

Works Cited
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“Major Medical Breakthroughs Included Insulin and Penicillin.” 1920s Medicine,

http://www.1920-30.com/medicine/ .

“Making Strides in Medicine.” Understanding Science,

https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/whathassciencedone_04 .

“The Pharmaceutical Century.” Salving With Science, ACS Publications,

https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/frederick-banting-charles-best-james-collip-

and-john-macleod .

“V.M. Bronners fight against STDs in the Transbaikal region in the 1920s.” Vol. 4, 2017,

pp 12-20. web.b.ebscohost.com