TITLE: The Effectiveness of Ancient Medicines

AUTHOR: Zachary J. Wyatt

SCHOOL: Bancroft School

SCHOOL ADDRESS: 110 Shore Drive, Worcester, MA 01605

The medicines of the ancient world might not have been developed scientifically, but their continued use in history begs the question: were they effective? In this project, substances used by several ancient cultures will be tested for their effectiveness in stopping bacteria growth. Although the causes of wounds from ancient times to the modern world have changed, the purposes of ointments are still to speed healing and prevent infection. To accomplish the latter, the medicine must be able to hinder bacteria growth; which is what this project will be testing. The experimentation has consisted of growing bacteria cultures of four different non-pathogenic bacteria in nutrient rich liquid Luria Broth (LB). The solutions also contained different ratios of a selected ancient medicine. After incubation, the cultures were tested to determine the absorbency of each solution. Bacteria growth and absorbency are associated because bacteria, if present, will absorb light. In addition, some medicines were tested in petri dish cultures using solid nutrient media. After streaking the bacteria, several samples of a medicine were added, and after incubation, checked for growth. But comparing the growth of cultures with and without the medicines, their effectiveness could also be tested. Through modern, controlled scientific experimentation, this project was able to prove that the selected ancient medicines were effective, and more importantly, why.