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Activity-2-The-Scientific-Method

The document discusses two historical cases involving the scientific method: the investigation of beriberi and the discovery of penicillin. In the case of beriberi, Dr. Eijkman concluded that the disease was caused by a nutritional deficiency rather than bacteria, while Sir Alexander Fleming demonstrated that Penicillium mold produces a substance that kills bacteria, leading to the development of antibiotics. Both cases illustrate the process of hypothesis testing and the importance of experimental evidence in scientific research.

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Aaron Jaylord Magayano
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8 views2 pages

Activity-2-The-Scientific-Method

The document discusses two historical cases involving the scientific method: the investigation of beriberi and the discovery of penicillin. In the case of beriberi, Dr. Eijkman concluded that the disease was caused by a nutritional deficiency rather than bacteria, while Sir Alexander Fleming demonstrated that Penicillium mold produces a substance that kills bacteria, leading to the development of antibiotics. Both cases illustrate the process of hypothesis testing and the importance of experimental evidence in scientific research.

Uploaded by

Aaron Jaylord Magayano
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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NAME:_______________________________________________ SECTION: __________

ACTIVITY 2
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
The Strange Case of Beri Beri
In 1887 a strange nerve disease attacked the people in the Dutch East Indies. The disease was beriberi.
Symptoms of the disease included weakness and loss of appetite; victims often died of heart failure. Scientists
thought the disease might be caused by bacteria. They injected chickens with bacteria from the blood of patients with
beriberi. The injected chickens became sick. However, so did a group of chickens that were not injected with
bacteria. One of the scientists, Dr. Eijkman, noticed something. Before the experiment, all the chickens had eaten
whole-grain rice, but during the experiment, the chickens were fed polished rice. Dr. Eijkman researched this
interesting case and found that polished rice lacked thiamine, a vitamin necessary for good health.
1. State the Problem
Is the nerve disease, beriberi, caused by bacteria?

2. What was the hypothesis?


The beriberi is being caused by a bacteria present in the beriberi patients’ blood

3. How was the hypothesis tested?


Blood samples were taken from beriberi patients and bacteria from these samples were extracted. A group of
chickens were then injected with these bacteria and another group was kept uninjected for the purpose of being
the control group. Finally, these two groups of chickens were observed for any signs of sickness.

4. Should the hypothesis be accepted or rejected based on the experiment?


The hypothesis should be rejected because of groups of the chicken (those injected with bacteria and those that
aren’t) became sick. This simply implies that our hypothesis that bacteria were the cause of the disease is wrong
since the control group also got sick.

5. What should be the new hypothesis and how would you test it?
Beriberi is caused by a nutritional deficiency
How to test?
We divide the chicken into two (2) groups once more. Feed one group with whole-grain rice and the other,
polished rice. Observe both groups for beriberi symptoms. This would show if the nutrition deficiency (polished rice
having no thiamine) is actually what causes the problem or not.

How Penicillin Was Discovered


In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming was studying Staphylococcus bacteria growing in culture dishes. He noticed that a
mold called Penicillium was also growing in some of the dishes. A clear area existed around the mold because all the
bacteria that had grown in this area had died. In the culture dishes without the mold, no clear areas were present.
Fleming hypothesized that the mold must be producing a chemical that killed the bacteria. He decided to isolate this
substance and test it to see if it would kill bacteria. Fleming transferred the mold to a nutrient broth solution. This
solution contained all the materials the mold needed to grow. After the mold grew, he removed it from the nutrient
broth. Fleming then added the nutrient broth in which the mold had grown to a culture of bacteria. He observed that
the bacteria died which was later used to develop antibiotics used to treat a variety of diseases.
1. Identify the problem
Does the Penicillium mold produce a substance that kills Staphylococcus bacteria?

2. What was Fleming's hypothesis


Penicillium mold are producing a chemical substance that kills bacteria

3. How was the hypothesis tested?


Fleming grew first the mold (penicillium) in a nutrient broth solution and let it
grow fully. When the mold has contained all the materials needed for it to grow,
Fleming removed it and the excess broth were fed to a culture of bacteria.
Finally, he observed what would happen after.

4. Should the hypothesis be supported or rejected based on the experiment?


The hypothesis should be supported because when Fleming added the nutrient broth (in which the mold had grown)
to the bacteria culture, the bacteria died. This proved that the mold was indeed producing a chemical substance
capable of killing bacteria, just as he had hypothesized.

5. This experiment lead to the development of what major medical advancement?


his experiment led to the development of antibiotics, specifically penicillin, which became the first widely used
antibiotic medication. This discovery revolutionized medicine by providing a way to treat many bacterial infections
that were previously deadly

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