In Defense of Penicillin

Both Sir Alexander Fleming and the penicillin he discovered have recently come in for some unkind words. In Britain, critics complain that Fleming got a bigger share than he deserved of the credit for penicillin--that more should have gone to Sir Howard Florey and Dr. Ernst Chain, who first took it out of the lab and put it into a patient. In the U.S., doctors say that strains of bacteria resistant to penicillin are emerging everywhere, and that these may breed diseases from which penicillin can give no relief.

In Manhattan last week, honeymooning with his 40-year-old Greek bride, 71-year-old Sir Alexander vigorously defended his antibiotic. "[The trouble] is not that it makes the microbes resistant," he said, "but rather that some people become sensitive to it. The penicillin still works on the germs, but the patient sometimes becomes too uncomfortable to permit its use ... In those cases, the cure may be worse than the ailment."

The only important bacteria that have shown significant resistance, Sir Alexander insisted, are the staphylococci (which cause boils and wound infections), and he denied that these have become resistant after exposure to the drug. These strains were resistant all along, he argued, but made up only 2-3% of the staphylococci; now they are involved in 50% of cases treated in hospitals and 10% of those treated outside--but only because penicillin has killed off the other strains.

One concession Sir Alexander made: penicillin is being used far too freely all over the world in cases where it can do no good, especially in common colds.

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