In 1900, 30.4% of all deaths occurred among children aged less than 5 years. The infamous 1919 influenza epidemic caused the death of nearly 500,000 Americans. Prior to the discovery of antibiotics, death caused by microorganisms was one of the leading causes in the industrialized world.
In 1929, when Alexander Fleming identified penicillin’s use in combating infection, all of this changed. The rate of death for children under 5 years is now lower than 2%. While we as a society have made great strides in our medical field, what would occur if crisis struck and the government mechanisms ceased to exist?
Many prepper sites rightfully talk about stockpiling antibiotics, but that is not a long term solution to the posed question; antibiotics lose their effectiveness over time. Even if you’re not a scientist, you can still make antibiotics with items you can find in your own home.
First of all, Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered antibiotics by being unfastidious. After losing his assistant to another employer, Fleming stacked bacteria filled petri dishes in a tub. Though the lower portion of the towering column of filth was submerged in bleach, the top of the tower was still covered in the tested bacteria.
The bacteria filled dishes became even filthier when mold particles from Fleming’s downstairs lab floated into the top dishes and began to grow. While many men would have succumb to cleaning the moldy dishes, Fleming actually looked at them under the microscope. In one of the greatest medical discoveries in history, Fleming found that the mold had killed the bacteria.
If someone can discover antibiotics by accident, you can certainly accomplish the creation if you put your mind to it, and if you have some moldy food.
While the majority of Penicillin strands come from a cantaloupe grown in 1940, you should not feel obligated to use the same fruit – unless you’re an antibiotic growing purist. A leftover bread crust or the peel of a citrus fruit would work just as well.
Place your chosen mold source on a sterilized plate, then wait for the mold to go from grey to a bright blue or green. Once the color is achieved, place your mold samples into a flask and incubate the culture for one week. You want to maintain a temperature of around 70 degrees.
While some folk remedies would have you stop there, you might end up sick if you attempt to ingest the as-is mold. While part of the mold you’ve grown is Penicillin, a good portion will be strains dangerous to humans, especially young children.
We need to create as solution with the following ingredient:
Lactose Monohydrate( 44.0 gm): Heat milk ( baby formula works even better ) up to 93 degrees. When much of the liquid has evaporated, you will see small crystalline structures. This is what you’re looking for.
Corn Starch ( 25.0 gm) : No explanation needed.
Sodium Nitrate: People don’t like to drink Sodium Nitrate, which helps us out. Companies make a fortune selling Sodium Nitrate filters. Pick one up now, and you will be able to obtain all the Sodium Nitrate you need.
Magnesium Sulfate ( .25 gm),Potassium MonoPhosphate (.50 gm), Glucose Monohydrate (2.75 gm) , Zinc Sulfate (.044 gm), and Manganese Sulfate (.044 gm): Can’t help you with these, guys. These chemical will likely be worth stocking up on. Unlike antibiotics, there is no expiration date on any of the previously listed.
Add your mold into this this solution and allow for an additional 7 days of incubation. Filter the solution through cheese cloth or a stocking to remove solids, and you will have created an antibiotic without the help of any pharmaceutical company. Just because the world has crumbled around you, doesn’t mean you have to die like they did 200 years ago. Infection death, after all, is so 2 centuries ago.
