medicine (biology)

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In medicine, chemicals use to treat disease or injury. The term drug is also often used to refer to these chemicals. However, the term drug is now often used to refer to the recreational drugs, such as alcohol, nicotine, and illegal drugs such as cannabis. These drugs are either not used much in medicine or not used at all.

The advent of antiseptics revolutionized surgery. These can be considered medicines that help to treat wounds and kill bacteria that may cause wounds to become infected.

Penicillin is an antibiotic, in other words used for the treatment of bacterial diseases. It is not harmful to most humans. This antibiotic, and variations of it, have probably helped to cure millions of people. Before penicillin was available, many people died from wounds infected by bacteria. Now this is far less common. Some antibiotics work against a range of bacteria and in many situations, like penicillins. Others are quite specific. For example, neomycin sulphate is specially active against bacteria that cause infections of the middle ear. Antibiotics are made in large amounts using bacteria or fungi grown in fermenters.

Green stands for agriculture. Red recalls the struggle for independence. White denotes peace. Yellow symbolizes mineral wealth. Effective date: April 1983. >>