Health & biology · 1935

Sulfa drugs

Prontosil, a red dye, cured streptococcal infections, the first broad antibacterial drugs.

Gerhard Domagk at Bayer reported Prontosil in 1935. Sulfonamides cut deaths from childbed fever and pneumonia before penicillin was available, and they launched the pharmaceutical industry's antibacterial research.

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Arcs above join it to what it stood on, arcs below to what it led to. The bar places this stretch on the tree's whole timeline.

What it built on 2

Salvarsan 1910
Synthetic dye (mauveine) 1856

Related measurements

The dashed line marks when it first worked.

Maternal mortality in the UK since 1847 Latest: 9.84 deaths per 100,000 births (2020) Source: Our World in Data

Life expectancy in the UK since 1543 Latest: 81.3 years (2023) Source: Our World in Data

Child mortality (under 5) Latest: 3.74 % (2024) Source: Our World in Data