Survival Medicine

The human body is a marvel of biologic engineering. Its immune system usually kills bacteria and other harmful germs before they can multiply and cause symptoms. Our blood contains white cells, also known as “leukocytes” that attack bacteria. Even if we do experience symptoms, our bodies can usually cope and fight off the infection. It’s thought that this process of suffering an infection and its elimination by an immune response happens every day, usually without any obvious sign. There are occasions, however, when the body’s defenses are overwhelmed. In these cases, help is needed, and it comes in the form of antibiotics. The word "antibiotics" is derived from the Greek “anti” ("against") and “bios” ("life"). While this seems a strange foundation for a medicine that saves lives, the meaning is simply that the drug is “against” the life of the disease-causing organism.  Joe and Amy Alton discuss antibiotics from a historical standpoint, do you know which was the first to be placed on the market? Also, Joe