Waksman Sees Essential Role For Antibiotics

November 10, 1960 - Antibiotics represent a godsend, carrying however tremendous penalties if one is not careful with them," Dr. S. A. Waksman, emeritus professor at Rutgers, told a Pre-Medical Society audience in McCosh 28 last night.

Speaking on the subject "Medical Research in Modern Society: Antibiotics Twenty Years Later," the Nobel Prize-winning microbiologist listed the dangers as twofold.

First, due to the toxic effects of many of the modern drugs, especially his own discovery, Streptomycin, their use can be harmful or even fatal to the patient if not controlled.

But more central to modern medicine, the biologist said, was the fact that indiscriminate use of antibiotics encouraged the formation of resistant strains of microbes.

Resistant Strains

"The medical profession tends to regard penicillin and streptomycin as cure-alls, and to neglect the size of the dosage of or the adaptability of microbes to the antibiotics," Dr. Waksman explained.

Thus the effectiveness of many drugs has been cut relative to a particular disease producing microbe, although other drugs may still be useful.

Concern with this progressive immunity of bacteria has led to three courses of action, according to Dr. Waksman. Foremost is the search for new antibiotic compounds still able to kill certain microbes.

In addition to this, the World Health Organization is working to prevent the international spread of resistant strains, and methods of altering penicillin to continue its potency are being developed.

Because the development and administering of antibiotic drugs is becoming so complex, "medicine will see a reorganization toward experts and centralized hospitals," he said.