How Dirty Dishes And Stale Bread Saved The World
Author: Doug Smith

Home Remedies - Facts or Quacks?

That's what I recently asked myself. Myths and legends are
often based on ancient truths. So I wondered if home remedies,
alternative treatments, and folklore cures might also be based
on some past grain of truth. Here's what I found.

He Was No Martha Stewart

In fact, Alexander Fleming had no housekeeping skills
whatsoever. During the early 1900s, Petri dishes, beakers, and
test tubes were piled around his lab like dirty dishes in a
bachelor's sink. That may be appropriate, because he was
studying the growth of bacteria and molds. I'm sure he had no
trouble getting either of those to grow in his lab. I'm not
sure how he kept his experiments separate.

Cashing In On Some Bread

Fortunately, there was at least one experiment that got
contaminated. He discovered that a mold growth called
Penicillium (because the cells are pencil-shaped) had killed
the bacteria he was culturing in one of his test dishes. The
Penicillium mold is often found on bread. He was able to
isolate the chemicals in the mold which killed the bacteria,
which are now known as penicillins.

A Miracle Cure Is Born

The antibiotic effects of penicillin, and its cousin
cephalosporin, proved to be a great aid to the medical
community in fighting bacterial illnesses and diseases. Over
the years these molecules have been enhanced to help them fight
bacteria which had become resistant. Penicillin is still saving
lives today, simply because Al Fleming was a slob. Thankfully,
he was smart enough to notice his mistake and understand what
it meant.

Eating moldy bread isn't going to cure your illness. Instead,
you might need a shot of penicillin to fight the effects of
your ill-advised snack! In this case, however, this home remedy
discovery is definitely a fact.

You can find more free home remedies through the resources
below. They are not the medical marvels described in this
article, but they can save you medical costs and maybe some
embarrassment.


About The Author: Discover secret home remedies at
http://www.superhomeremedies.com that show you how to use
mayonnaise, duct tape, yogurt, soda, mouthwash, peroxide,
thread and other common ingredients to cure common but
embarrassing conditions.