PENICILLIN IN OPHTHALMOLOGY

Abstract

After the accidental discovery by Fleming¹in 1929 of the inhibitive effect of penicillium mold on staphylococci in vitro, no effort was made to apply this knowledge in a clinical way until the studies begun by Howard W. Florey and his co-workers in 1940. Since then the organic acid formed by Penicillium notatum and named penicillin has been extensively investigated. Observations on the use of penicillin in the treatment of ocular diseases in man have been published by Abraham,²the Floreys,³Keefer,⁴Mary Florey,⁵Keyes,⁶Sorsby,⁷Lyons,⁸Griffey⁹and Cashell.¹⁰ Material for this communication was derived from the special penicillin research center at Bushnell General Hospital, from private communications of medical officers of the Army and from medical literature on penicillin. No effort was made to compile statistics by treating a number of similar cases with penicillin. Research, which was