What was used before penicilin was available?

Baloo55th

Going right back, moulds (as in mouldy bread, etc) were applied to the surface of wounds. Surprisingly, this often worked. (Less surprising if you know that penicillin is derived from a mould.) Mercury compounds were used for certain conditions now treated with antibiotics, with some success (probably accidental) and many sometimes fatal side-effects. Salvarsan replaced the use of mercury early in the 20th C - this was the first modern antibiotic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvarsan Nov 14 07, 4:03 PM

robboy

I'd always got an earful from my father about the use of sulfa antibiotics prior to the acceptance of penicillin. Apparantly sulfa was an effective method of treating wounds since around the turn of the last century, and its use as an antibiotic was widespread. It had its drawbacks, such as its toxicity level made it a touchy item, and bacteria resistance was rather quick to make an appearance, however, for people such as my dad who was allergic to the new penicillin, sulfa remained the only viable alternative. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-3456409.html Nov 14 07, 4:52 PM