Didn't penicillin come
from animal experimentation?
Actually, it's a fact that animal tests significantly
sidetracked development of this important drug.
In 1929, Alexander Fleming observed penicillin
as it killed bacteria in a Petri dish. Intrigued,
he administered the compound to bacteria-infected
rabbits, hoping it would do the same thing.
"And it almost didn't come at all."
Unfortunately, penicillin was ineffective against
the rabbit's infection. Disappointed, Fleming
set the drug aside for a decade, as the rabbits
had "proved" the drug was useless as
a systemic medication.
Years later, he administered the drug in desperation
to a dying patient, for whom all other treatments
were ineffectual. The penicillin performed a
miracle, and the rest is history.
Fleming might have thrown penicillin away had
he done his initial tests on guinea pigs or hamsters,
as it would have killed those species. Fleming
later admitted that misleading results from animal
testing almost prevented discovery of the entire
field of antibiotics.
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