antimicrobial drugs
work by destroying or interfering with microbial structures and enzymes, either killing microbial cells or inhibiting their growth
Paul Ehrlich
set out to discover or synthesize chemical compounds capable of killing infectious microbes without harming the patient. “magic bullet” cured syphilis.
synthetic antimicrobial
a drug that is developed from a chemical not found in nature
penicilin
the first natural antibiotic
semisynthetic antimicrobial
chemically modified derivative of a natural antibiotic