Then and Now: ‘Wonder drug’ in use by Grantham Hospital in 1945

In August 1945 the Grantham Journal carried the headline ‘Penicillin in Use at Grantham Hospital, Wonder Drug now available for Patients’.

It continued: “No fewer than 20 patients had received penicillin treatment at the hospital in one form or another during the first seven months of 1945. In at least four cases, the patient’s life was saved by the administration of this wonderful new drug.”

The report added: “The hospital is proud of these results and the authorities think that the public of Grantham and district should be made aware of the facts.

“There is a progressive committee in being with its eye on the latest practical developments in medicine and surgery and these methods are always introduced into usage at the hospital as soon as their efficiency has been proved.”

Penicillin was first widely produced immediately prior to the D-Day landings for treating wounded soldiers. It became more readily available in hospitals in England towards the end of 1944, so when Grantham hospital obtained stock in January 1945, it was one of the first to do so.