Magic Bullets

What are magic bullets?

Magic Bullets are chemicals that kill harmful bacteria without damaging the rest of the body. Antiseptics like carbolic acid had been used on wounds, but they were harmful inside the body. The first magic bullet was Salvarsan 606 which was developed by Paul Ehrlich in 1909. The second magic bullet was Prontosil which was developed by Gerhard Domagk in 1932. Further research showed that Prontosil and Salvarsan 606 were part of a family of sulphonamides.

How were they developed?

• Individual Genius: Ehrlich had worked as a member of Robert Koch's team and he followed up on their work on bacteria. He was incredibly determined - Salvarsan 606 is named because his team had tried 605 versions that hadn't worked!
• Both discoveries were aided by research teams and government funding. Technology helped with the discovery of Prontosil as the electron microscope was developed the previous year. One of the first patients was Domagk's six year old daughter who caught a dangerous infection from an unsterlised needle.

Significance?

Salvarsan 606 was effective at treating syphilis (an STI) and Prontosil was useful for treating childbed (puerperal) fever. They showed that infectious disease could be fought by synthetically made medicines. They therefore marked a turning point for the pharmaceutical industry. However, the drugs were not effective for other infections and many still died from infectious diseases that are now easily treated by antibiotics.