The penicillin teapot

Almost exactly 60 years ago, on 1 June 1946, penicillin first became available to general practitioners. I remember it well. Previously penicillin had been available only to hospitals and the armed forces, so we were eager to have a chance to use it.

  At that time I was the assistant in a general practice in North Berwick. On 1 June my “chief,” Dr Mallace, suggested that I prescribe penicillin for one of our patients, a middle aged single woman with severe bronchiectasis. She was confined to bed and had not improved with sulphonamides or postural drainage. The prognosis was bleak, not only for her but for her resident staff: her chauffeur, gardener, and housekeeper were all dependent on her survival.

  A course of oral penicillin had remarkable results. Her symptoms improved, and she was gradually able to return to her previous lifestyle. We were amazed and delighted to see the transformation. She was extremely grateful for the dramatic improvement in her condition—so grateful that the following year she gave me a silver tea service as a wedding present. By then, she was able to sit in her beautifully tended garden, her housekeeper busy in the kitchen, and her chauffeur back on the road. Her wedding gift, “the penicillin teapot” as my family call it, is still in use—a daily reminder of 1 June 1946.

Mary N Finlay ([email protected]), retired general practitioner

Uxbridge