Antibiotics are used for treating infections and illnesses
caused by bacteria. They cannot be used against disease caused
by viruses. Selman Waksman coined the word ‘antibiotic’ in 1942
to describe such chemicals derived from living organisms. In
1877, Louis Pasteur observed in his experiments that some types
of bacteria obstruct the growth of other types. Scientists
experimented with this phenomenon of ‘anti-biosis’ (‘against
life’), but it was not until Alexander Fleming's accidental
discovery of penicillin in 1928 that a substance of significant
potential value for medical treatments was found. During the
Second World War (1939-45) penicillin saved many lives on the
battlefield and in the hospital. This success motivated
scientists to search for other micro-organisms which could be
used to combat infections with bacteria or fungi. In the 1940s a
team headed by the future Nobel Prize winner Selman Waksman
(1888-1973) discovered two more antibiotics produced by
bacteria, actinomycin and streptomycin, which l