Question

Scientists worked to make enough penicillin to treat infections from wartime injuries. For the first time, during World War II, this “miracle drug,” the antibiotic penicillin, was credited with saving thousands of soldiers whose lives might have previously been lost due to infection. The mold that produces penicillin grows well in a by-product from corn production. To obtain samples of the mold that grows penicillin, and to produce it in large quantities, the U.S. Army worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase the production of this new drug.

- “Penicillin: The First Miracle Drug.” Robert Fogel

Why was the US Army interested in producing penicillin?

They were going to use it against the enemy in World War II.

They were going to benefit financially from selling the drug.

It saved the lives of soldiers who might have died from infection.

Answer 1

It saved the lives of soldiers who might have died from infection. The passage explains penicillin was credited during WWII with saving thousands of soldiers from infections.