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When I was training, penicillin was first introduced. We had to very careful with it. You had to give it every three hours on the hour, and they were very particular that you do this; and it was by injection to start with. They also used to put the liquid penicillin into wounds.

I always remember we had a window cleaner in when I was on the male surgical ward. He’d fallen from his ladder. He came in and his general condition wasn’t too bad- he was talking and seemed alright; but we put him on observations anyway — you know- pulse, blood pressure —that sort of thing.

Gradually he deteriorated, and became very confused. It was night time getting on for the time when the day staff would come back on, and he was taken to theatre. They found that he’d had a clot on his brain, and it was removed. When he came back he had an open wound with a little tube. I was instructed to fit up a drip with a container and you were only allowed so many drips to go through every three hours- it was actually going down into his brain. I was absolutely terrified!

Penicillin had just been introduced and it really seemed the miracle drug. But you were only allowed to use it every three hours as apparently the efficiency wore off if you didn’t keep it up in the body.

Then of course they introduced the penicillin cream for the burns.
A lot of things were introduced during the war.

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Becky Barugh of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Patricia Davies and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Pat's stories:

• 1) I suppose it was inevitable…
• 2) Getting used to being on the wards
• 3) The unchanging rota
• 4) Othopaedic Wards
• 5) The Miners
• 6) Keeping coffee warm in the sterilizer
• 7) Mouth gags and tongue clips
• 8) Dear Flower Girl
• 9) Theatres
• 10) The Nurse’s Home
• 11) The ‘Guinea Pig Club’
• 12) Mice in the washing and other tricks
• 13) Enamel washbowls on your heads
• 14) Extra Work
• 15) Shake and Shake…
• 16) Little Nurse
• 18) Only two nights off
• 19) Making and Breaking
• 20) My little bucket and I
• My visit to post-War Germany

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