SALE OF PENICILLIN

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25139, 21 March 1947, Page 7

SALE OF PENICILLIN

RESTRICTION PROPOSED IN BRITISH BILL

\(Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, March 20. Fear that unrestricted access to penicillin might do grave harm to the public health was expressed by the Postmaster-General (Lord Listowel), when moving the second reading of the Penicillin Bill in the House of Lords. This is designed to prevent penicillin or a similar substance being sold except on the orders of a doctor or a veterinarian. Lord Listowel said that scientists, including Sir Alexander Fleming, had pointed out that if a person took small doses, noxious germs in the. system became immune to the drug’s curative action, those who acquired this immunity were likely to die fiom a renewed attack of the disease for which they had taken small doses, and a man might infect his wife and clnldren with penicillin-resistant germs. The “Daily Telegraph,” commenting on the bill, says that if the sale of penicillin is not controlled there is no doubt it would be widely sold and lavishly used. It adds that the measure of control proposed will in no way hinder the use of the drug by those qualified to handte it. but will prevent the edge of the sharpest weapon against microbe infection being blunted by abuse. 5