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If you look at the news in the high doses, you should probably think that The end of the world is near. At one point, we will all end up in a post-apocalyptic RPG and our character will have a level 2 in medicine, a level 3 in chemistry and will necessarily come across a secondary quest for style: “Make antibiotics to save the camp”.

So what is the history of this scientific discovery that has changed modern medicine? Here is purely educational, the science behind penicillin, a process that combines biology, chemistry and a good dose of patience.

Before showing you how to concoct your own penicillin in your fortune lab, let’s take a moment to appreciate how rotten life was before the invention of antibiotics. You still have to imagine a world where a simple boho could send you direct to the cemetery. A finger cut, a scratch during a bike fall, or even dental extraction could trigger a fatal infection. And that was the daily life of our ancestors & mldr; Besides, before antibiotics, life expectancy rarely exceeded 40 years, and it was not only because of wars and famine.

Diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy or even a “simple” pneumonia were death sentences or, at best, to a life of suffering. And let’s not even talk about bacterial diarrhea, which was a major cause of death. Literally, people were dried up by emptying with the ass. Class.

Important note : This article is purely educational and historical. The production of antibiotics is strictly regulated for excellent reasons for public health. I share a little science, without in any way encouraging its reproduction which would be dangerous and probably illegal in certain places of the globe.

But all that has changed thanks to a mold that probably grows in your fridge right now. Indeed, the history of penicillin began in 1928, when a certain Alexander FlemingScottish doctor and organized mess champion, returns from vacation and discovers that his bacteria cultures have been contaminated by mold. But instead of throwing everything by railing against the trainee as you would have done, he notices a bizarre thing: around blue mold stains, the bacteria have completely disappeared.

Synthetic Production of Penicillin TR1468

So ! The penicillin had just been discovered, by a pure accident.

But what is crazy is that despite this revolutionary discovery, it took more than 10 years before someone was seriously interested. It was not until 1940 that Howard Florey and his team began working on a large -scale production, just in time to save thousands of soldiers during the Second World War.

But then how to reproduce this discovery and make your own penicillin? It would be a competence that could prove to be precious after the apocalypse zombie, nuclear, or climatic & mldr; Choose your poison.

So unlike many drugs that are chemically synthesized, antibiotics and penicillin are rather cultivated. Yes, like hallucinogenic mushrooms, but in medical and legal version.

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The principle is simple: we grow the Penicillium mold (the one that appears naturally on bread or citrus fruits too ripe), we feed it correctly, then extract the magic substance it produces. In nature, this mold makes antibiotics to defend itself against surrounding bacteria, like a real Westeros of Game of Thrones in microscopic version where the chemical weapon is the favorite tactics of its leaders.

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Important warning : Obviously, never try to use this artisanal penicillin on yourself or on other people. It is a purely educational project, and the risks of impurities, incorrect dosage or potentially deadly allergic reactions are enormous. Leave it to the pharmaceutical labos & mldr; At least as long as they still exist.

To understand the scientific process that has revolutionized modern medicine, here are the main stages as they have been historically developed:

  1. Get the right mold : Ideally, you want a penicillium strain that produces a lot of antibiotic, not just any blue mold. In the video video, they used a “hyperproductive” strain purchased online (yes, we can buy it & mldr; Internet is really a wonderful and terrifying place at the same time). But in case of apocalypse, you could try your luck with natural mold recovered from bread.

  2. Concoct a feast for mold : Our blue girlfriend needs a quality food to produce her medication. The recipe looks like something that a witch could prepare: yeast extract, malt extract, peptone, glucose, lactose, ammonium nitrate and monopotassic phosphate. All that mixed in a liter of water. In a survivalist version, a mixture of broth, moldy bread and sugar could do the trick, but the yield would be catastrophic.

  3. Mushroom : Once the sterilized medium (crucial to avoid contaminations), it is then inoculated with our mold and we let in about 25 ° C for a week. Mop will form a thick and frankly disgusting layer on the surface. In the video, they use a sophisticated bioreactor, but in survival mode, a clean jar with a non -hermetic cover could be enough.

  4. Extract the precious : This is where it becomes technical. It is necessary to filter to separate the fungal mass (which looks like a floating, delicious omelet) of the liquid. Then add salt and acid to pass penicillin into an organic solvent (ethyl acetate). Thus, after a series of chemical manipulations to purify everything, we finally get a yellowish powder which contains our penicillin.

  5. Test efficiency : To verify that our magic potion works, we can then apply it on a culture of bacteria and observe if it creates an inhibition zone (a circle where nothing grows). If so, congratulations! You have made a functional antibiotic.

Now the yield is & mldr; Let’s say modest because after all this work, the video team obtained only 125 mg of penicillin, far from the 2-3 g expected theoretically. But hey, it’s still better than nothing when the zombies are at you and your survival companion has an arm infection.

What I found great with this experience is that it is part of a broader movement of “biohacking” and DIY science. Organizations and websites are actively working to document these crucial skills to “rebuild civilization” if necessary. We will see if we have to use it all, at one point.

Now if the idea of ​​cultivating antibiotics seems too complex to you, know that nature is already full of natural antibacterial remedies such as honey, garlic, certain plants such as sage or echinacea have demonstrated antibacterial properties. Not as powerful as penicillin, of course, but always useful to know for your post-apocalyptic survival manual.

Here, so I don’t know for you, but personally, spend hours growing a thick layer of blue mold and then extract it with chemicals to get 125 mg of yellowish powder, it would make me feel like Walter White. So we’ll see if I start chemistry when the end of the world will arrive.

This exploration of the scientific process behind penicillin reminds us that the border between garage science and revolutionary discovery is sometimes very thin & mldr; After all, Fleming himself discovered penicillin by accident. So the next time you find mold on your food, take a moment to appreciate this little organism that has changed the course of human history, while throwing it carefully in the trash, of course.

Amen!

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