My favourite subject in pharmacy

I think most of the people choose a particular subject to be their favourite one perhaps because, they find it very interesting and see very bright career and research prospects or because they're simply very good at it.
I come under the second category and I can state that categorically (pun not intended).

I've been in the pharmacy field for only 2 years now and have studied up only on topics such as animal testing and environmentally friendly drugs and other products, because they affect me personally as a conscientious citizen of the planet. The subject that I have actually enjoyed studying solely for its content is microbiology, which I came across in my 2nd year 1st semester.

To cut the definition of microbiology short, it is only the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular organisms including bacteria, viruses and fungi etc. I used to hate it in my school days but to my surprise, I was one of the best in my class at college at this subject. I think it is mainly because I was so unenthusiastic about it in the beginning, that I started worrying about my marks and so worked really hard at it. Working hard at anything is the best way to discover the entire beauty of it. Ironically perhaps, my hard work was “the spoonful of sugar that helped the medicine go down, in a most delightful way”, (Mary Poppins anyone?) the medicine being the subject of course. I’ve begun to find it very interesting also because it amazes me to realize the true potential of the human brain.

The incredible way Pasteur discovered a million different vaccines and Koch’s ingenuity in formulating his postulates at a time none of our modern technology was available, awes me completely. The discovery of various antigen-antibodies and the theories conceived to explain them are fascinating. The inferences that were drawn from simple phenomena are astounding. Richard Pfeiffer conceived the concept of endotoxin as a heat-stable bacterial poison responsible for the pathophysiological consequences of certain infectious diseases. Endotoxin and anti-endotoxin antibodies have since then fascinated researchers of many disciplines, particularly in the fields of diagnosis, prevention, and therapy of severe Gram-negative infections. Great researchers as these have spawned generations of eager young students and great advances in various fields.

Louis Pasteur is considered by many to be the father of Bacteriology (along with Robert Koch) and one of the co- founders of Microbiology. He was one of the proponents of Germ theory, created the first vaccine for rabies and discovered the method of pasteurization. Pasteur won the Leeuwenhoek medal, microbiology's highest honour, in 1895. Kudos to the man! I admire him so much because he makes me acknowledge a much dismissed fact – we should learn from our predecessors, not only intellectually but also spiritually, to aspire to be and know more than we can ever imagine is possible to do so.

Also, think of the varied uses that have been discovered: all we take for granted today are only due to these micro organisms- from the jeans that we wear to the drugs that we consume!

It is such a vast field with so much more to discover and explore…..no wonder I love it so much!