Chapter 359: Traditional Manufacturing
Zhang Xingjiu will delay the release of other scientific research results according to the time nodes, because the gap between China's industrial production capacity and that of the great powers is too large. If the results are released in advance, it will only benefit those countries.
Penicillin was different, because it had not been long since the Japanese invaders launched the war, and he really couldn't bear to see countless citizens die tragically due to lack of medical care and medicine, so he decided to get penicillin before the Japanese invaded, hoping to save more lives of his compatriots.
Considering that Zheng Sanfazi is really unreliable, even if he produces the results of industrialized penicillin, it will probably only become a tool for some powerful people to make profits, so Zhang Xingjiu plans to walk on two legs.
On the surface, he continued to provide guidance to Tang Feifan, asking him to study the application of penicillin in the medical field, come up with a method for industrial production of penicillin, and then cooperate with European and American countries, granting them patents in exchange for some benefits.
There is no other way. With the international status of the Republic of China, it is impossible to keep this hen that lays golden eggs. Instead of letting Zheng Sanfazi sell it, it is better to do it by ourselves. At least we can sell more, and the rewards we get can be used where they are really needed.
He secretly took out a traditional method of making penicillin and sent it to Zhang Guoqiang through secret channels. He was now in Jiangxi, where conditions were very difficult. There was no way to obtain the equipment needed for industrial production of penicillin, so he could only use the traditional method. Although the penicillin produced by this method was not of high purity and the effect was not as good as that of industrial products, it was better than nothing.
Zhang Xingjiu had already mastered this method, which was included in the "Barefoot Doctor Manual". It is very simple to operate and is very suitable for use in rural areas with difficult conditions.
Tang Feifan is now full of expectations for penicillin. As soon as Zhang Xingjiu gave the order, he immediately started the next step of the experiment to extract the active ingredients. Through many experiments, he determined the chemical properties of penicillin and extracted pure penicillin for further medical research.
Further in vitro experiments showed that penicillin can effectively inhibit a variety of pathogenic bacteria such as streptococci and staphylococci, which laid the foundation for its subsequent medical application.
During the experiment, Zhang Xingjiu and Tang Feifan continuously optimized the methods of extracting and purifying penicillin to ensure its stability and effectiveness.
Animal experiments were then carried out, which confirmed that penicillin was significantly effective in treating various bacterial infections, but it had a certain degree of drug resistance, and penicillin of insufficient purity was prone to cause allergies. However, this was not a serious problem at the moment, because many diseases that penicillin could treat were currently incurable, and having a chance of survival was already very good.
The last step was human experiment. Zhang Xingjiu, Wu Lien-teh, and Tang Feifan recruited a group of seriously ill patients from the Affiliated Hospital of Aurora University Medical College. They explained the severity of the disease to them and selected volunteers to participate in the experiment.
Soon, the experiment was successful, and those patients who were originally incurable and had been given notice by doctors miraculously recovered.
After the first round of experiments, Zhang Xingjiu was not in a hurry to publish the article. There was no need to rush this time. Not many scholars in Europe and the United States had noticed this article, let alone conducted experiments. They had plenty of time to make this result more solid.
So, based on the results of the first round of experiments, they re-formulated the plan and prepared for the second round of experiments.
At the same time, Zhang Xingjiu's private research on the traditional method of penicillin cultivation was also successful. This method is indeed simple to say and can be completed using very simple resources.
The first step is to collect Penicillium. You can do this by looking for moldy foods, such as moldy bread, steamed buns or oranges, and collecting the moldy substances on their surface as the source of Penicillium.
Next, prepare the culture medium. Grind rice, taro, or sweet potato into juice and mix them as the culture medium solution for Penicillium. This mixture not only provides the nutrients needed for the growth of Penicillium, but also has a certain antibacterial effect, which helps the growth of Penicillium and the production of penicillin.
Then ferment and culture, spread the collected moldy materials evenly on the prepared culture medium solution, place it in a warm, ventilated place away from direct sunlight for fermentation and culture. In order to maintain a certain humidity and prevent contamination by miscellaneous bacteria, cover the container mouth with plastic film and cut a small hole in the film for air circulation.
The fourth step is filtration. After the fermentation is completed, use gauze or fine cotton cloth as a filter, slowly pour the culture medium into it, and collect the filtered liquid. This step is crucial for the subsequent extraction of penicillin.
The fifth step is extraction and concentration. The filtered liquid contains penicillin, but the concentration is low. Vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil can be added to the filtered liquid, stirred thoroughly and allowed to stand. Penicillin will dissolve in the water and the oil layer will float on top.
At this time, the upper oil layer can be carefully removed, leaving the water layer containing penicillin. In order to further concentrate the penicillin, the water layer can be poured into a clean container and placed in a warm environment to allow it to evaporate naturally.
The last step is adsorption and elution. Add activated carbon powder to the concentrated penicillin solution, stir it thoroughly and let it stand. The penicillin will be adsorbed by the activated carbon. Take out the activated carbon that has adsorbed penicillin, rinse it with distilled water, and the penicillin will be eluted at some stage.
Please read this section carefully, because it might come in handy if you were to travel back to the world before World War II.
The traditional method experiment was successful, and the repeated experiment was also successful. Zhang Xingjiu wrote down the specific method. This method is much more detailed than the above. What is the ratio of moldy substances to culture medium, what are the conditions for filtering gauze, and what is the ratio of rapeseed oil? How much activated carbon is used for extraction? When washing activated carbon with distilled water, at which stage will penicillin be eluted? These are all written clearly. As long as you follow this method, you can extract penicillin. It is low-cost and easy to operate. The only disadvantage is that the purity of penicillin extracted by traditional methods is extremely low, and it is easy to mix with other harmful substances, such as patulin. Therefore, penicillin extracted by traditional methods must be tested for safety before use, otherwise it may cause serious harm to the user.
Zhang Xingjiu also wrote down the specific testing methods in the method so that Zhang Guoqiang and his partners could carry out the operation.
Everything is ready, and the only problem left is how to deliver it to them. The person who delivers the letter must be very reliable and have excellent abilities to take on this important task.
That day, Zhang Xingjiu came out of A Zhang's house and took a car back home. When the car turned a corner, he caught a glimpse of a familiar face out of the corner of his eye.
Well, there will be no problem if I leave this matter to him.
(End of this chapter)
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