Which antibiotic was extensively used to treat American soldiers wounded in World War II?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Penicillin
An antibiotic is a chemical made by some microbes that can kill or slow down the growth of other, disease-causing microbes. Penicillin was the first antibiotic to be discovered, by Alexander Fleming, and it came from the mould Penicillium notatum. Its full value as an antibiotic was shown later by Ernest Chain and Howard Florey, and it was then used on a large scale for American soldiers wounded in World War II. Fleming, Chain and Florey received the Nobel Prize in 1945 for this discovery.
NCERT Extract:
Antibiotics – “… Alexander Fleming while working on Staphylococci bacteria, once observed a mould growing in one of his unwashed culture plates around which Staphylococci could not grow. He found out that it was due to a chemical produced by the mould and he named it Penicillin after the mould Penicillium notatum. However, its full potential as an effective antibiotic was established much later by Ernest Chain and Howard Florey. This antibiotic was extensively used to treat American soldiers wounded in World War II.”