Skin Care ~LuxxyLux

Most of us have found it necessary to take antibiotics at some time or other. It is estimated that about one-fourth of all prescriptions given by doctors contain these prescription drugs. Antibiotics are commonly employed in ailments like diarrhoea, respiratory and urinary track infections, and non-specific fevers.

Till the advent of sulfonamides in the 1930s, there were no effective anti-microbial agents. During the First World War, hundreds of thousands soldiers died of wound infections but in the Second World War, all these lives were saved by the use of sulfonamides. The credit for the discovery of sulfonamides goes to Domagk, a German scientist, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1939. Hitler’s Nazi regime did not permit Domagk to receive the prize and he had to wait until the downfall of the Nazis to receive this prestigious award, but never received the prize money.

Since then, several antibiotics have been discovered and have become one of the commonest category of drugs used in many of the developing and developed countries.

Should Antibiotics be Used to Prevent Diseases? Antibiotics are not only useful in an established condition of infection but are also effective as prophylactic agents in a variety of situations. The prophylactic use of antibiotics is advocated to reduce the risk of infection in patients who are more susceptible to infections due to decreased resistance; and to avoid the infection after accidents, injury, dental or general surgery. Penicilin-G is very important to prevent recurrence of rheumatic heart disease. They are used to prevent the infection of urinary passage which may occur following delivery, insertion of rubber catheter in urinary passage, and having sex with professional sex workers.