Another major
development was the introduction of sulfa medicines, powerful anti-germ agents.
The first of the modern antibiotic compounds, penicillin, came into general use
only after World War II. Today, available antibiotics include more than half a
dozen types of penicillin plus streptomycin, neomycin, bacitracin, and
erythromycin- all considered "specific-target" in the sense that they
have powerful effects against a limited range of disease-causing organisms.
In
addition, there are broad-spectrum antibiotics, so called because they combat a
wide range of bacteria. Broad-spectrum agents include chloramphenicol,
chlortetracycline, tetracycline, and oxytetracycline.
Antibiotics work in two ways. Some, like penicillin,
actually destroy organisms. Others are bacteriostatic; they hold bacteria in
check without actually killing them. The bacteriostatic compounds prevent the
entrance of some essential element, such as iron, into the metabolic processes
that maintain growth and reproduction of bacterial cells.
The bacteria do not
die, but they no longer divide and multiply. If antibiotic treatment is stopped
too soon, organisms may resume growth and reproduction. A single bacterium,
unchecked, can produce a billion descendants in 24 hours. The bacteriostatic
antibiotics are valuable in that, as they hold bacterial populations in check,
they give body defenses time to muster and to destroy the germs.
It's important to
understand that different germs may produce similar symptoms-and a boil or sore
throat or finger infection that earlier yielded to one kind of antibiotic may,
another time, come from another type of bacteria and require another type of
antibiotic.
Clearly, you should not try to medicate yourself. Let your doctor
treat the infections in your family, and respect him if he is not in a rush to
use an antibiotic. He may judge it wiser to give the body a chance to throw off
an infection, as it often can, or to wait until he can establish exactly what
the problem is and then pick the right antibiotic for it. Indiscriminate use of
antibiotics, like indiscriminate use of any potent medication, can be
dangerous, leading to undesirable side effects and to failure to hit the actual
germs causing trouble, thus adding to problems of body defenses.
When your physician does prescribe medication, follow his
directions exactly.
Remember that just because you begin to feel better does
not mean that the medication should be discontinued or the dosage reduced
unless your physician specifically so directs. A few more days of treatment, or
even just one more day, may be essential to control infection. When your
physician suggests that treatment stop, then stop, and do not use any remaining
pills except under his advice. In most cases, leftover medication is best
thrown away. When antibiotics are thoughtfully prescribed and intelligently
taken, you need have no fear of using them. 50 used, when they really need to
be used, these substances often turn out to be wonder workers indeed.
