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'''Drug resistance''' is the phenomenon whereby widespread use of an antibacterial drug is followed by the emergence of strains of bacteria capable of resisting the drug.
In 1940, the ''New York Times'' hailed the arrival of
:A new wonder-working chemical named sulfathiazole, the latest "relative" of the sulfanilimide group of "magic bullets," which promises to become the greatest weapon against a host of deadly bacterial infections for which no effective measures existed until now.<ref>Laurence, William L. (1940), "New 'Sulfa' Drug Widens Germ War," ''The New York Times,'' April 4, 1940, p. 19</ref>
After World War II, it was followed by the first of the antibiotics, [[penicillin]] and [[streptomycin]]. The impact of these drugs cannot be overstated, and the phrases "wonder drug" and "miracle drug" were widely used. As early as 1952, however, the Times was reporting that "physicians said today that more bacteria were developing more resistance to 'wonder drugs.'"
In 1940, the ''New York Times'' hailed the arrival of
:A new wonder-working chemical named sulfathiazole, the latest "relative" of the sulfanilimide group of "magic bullets," which promises to become the greatest weapon against a host of deadly bacterial infections for which no effective measures existed until now.<ref>Laurence, William L. (1940), "New 'Sulfa' Drug Widens Germ War," ''The New York Times,'' April 4, 1940, p. 19</ref>
After World War II, it was followed by the first of the antibiotics, [[penicillin]] and [[streptomycin]]. The impact of these drugs cannot be overstated, and the phrases "wonder drug" and "miracle drug" were widely used. As early as 1952, however, the Times was reporting that "physicians said today that more bacteria were developing more resistance to 'wonder drugs.'"