Abstract
The beginning of antibiotic era is traditionally ascribed to Fleming's discovery of penicillin in 1928. From the modern view, however, the term "antibiotic" includes all antibacterial drugs for oral or parenteral administration, regardless of their origin (microbial products or chemical compounds).
Thus, sulphonamides belong to antibiotics and the beginning of antibiotic era should be shifted in the year 1910 when Paul Ehrlich and Sahachiro Hata demonstrated the therapeutic potential of arsphenamin (Salvarsan) against syphilis. The discovery of penicillin was preceded with studies from several countries that documented antagonism between various microogranisms.
Some of them went on to introducing new anti-bacterial drugs. Nevertheless, these drugs could be used only for local treatment of superficial infections.
Alexander Fleming did discover penicillin but the medical utilization of this substance was realized even after the hard work of the Oxford team headed by Howard Florey. The enthusiasm for penicillin led in formulating several recommendations that were incorrectly ascribed to all antibiotics.
Examples of such wrong thinking are given in the article.