Evening star., 1948-10-11
D. T.. Scientist Found
Way 10 Use Penici|Iin
As Quick VD Cure

The development of penicillin as
q weapon In the fight against vene-
real disease was brought to its
present effective stage through the
work of Washington scientist.
He is Dr. M. J. Romansky of the
George Washington University
School OF Medicine who, while a
captain on the Army Medical Corps
staff at Walter Reed Hospital in
1914, developed a new method of
keeping penicillin in the body long
enough for the drug to do its work
His discovery was the last step
in the story which started. in 1929
when DR.. Arthur Fleming at st.
Mary's College in London, found
that some of his carefully developed
cultures of bacteria were being
killed by a powerful agent.
Found to Be Potent Weapon.
Later identified as penicillin, the
drug was found to be a potent
weapon against such ancient
scourges as pneumonia, blood pois-
oning, childbed fever, meningitis
and certain forms of heart disease
It also was found remarkably effec-
tive in treating gonorrhea and
syphilis-the two most prevalent of
all communicable diseases in this
country today.
For all its potency, however. DR.
Fleming's discovery could be of lit
tie practical use because of two bar
riers. First, penicillin had to reach
the mass production stage. AS late
as 1898, when the drug was first
used in treating humans, the
amount required to treat one case
represented an expenditure of tens
Of thousands of dollars.
Secondly, some method had to be
discovered to keep penicillin in the
blood stream for a prolonged period
When first used in a water solution
It was exerted before it had time to
kill the diseaSe-causing organisms.
Solved by Cooperation.
The first problem was solved dur
ing the war by the drug industry
under the general control of the
War Production Board. In an all.
out effort, supported by millions oi
dollars invested by Government anc
private companies, the output
reached mass production levels
within year.
Although it remained relatively
scarce during the war. penicillin il
now in bountiful supply. In its pes.
ent campaign against gonorrhea ir
the District, the Health Department
is distributing the drug free to pri.
vate doctors for treatment of tht
disease. The cost to the depart.
ment for enough to cure a case o.
gonorrhea is now about 10 cents.
1t remained for DR.. Romansky ir
Washington to supply the solution
TO the second problem in 1914. Un'
til then, treatment of syphilis with
penicillin required so to 100 shot!
given during to is days. 1t alst
required almost constant attention
of the patient by hospital personnel
Suspended in Mixture.
DR.. Romansky discovered tn,
drug could be suspended in mix
ture of peanut oil and beeswax. In
jected into the muscle in that form
1t would remain in the blood stream
for "A hours-about eight times a.
long as when injected in a waite
solution.
In many cases, the new methot
eliminated the necessity of hos
pitalizing the patient. He coult
simply report to the clinic once /,
dag for two weeks for his daily in
lection.
Today. DR.. Romansky and Others
are at work developing new method.
of injecting penicillin to maintain
Its concentration in the blood fol
as long as nine days with single
injection, and the point is ap.
preaching when single shot will
cure a large majority of early
syphilis cases.
This year in Washington, the
Health Department is waging wal
on venereal disease, using penicillir
in beeswax and oil as its principal
weapon. Given the cooperation OF
the public, the fight could be
~ -E..I