Antibiotics have been instrumental in the fight against diseases caused by bacteria for the past 60 years. Bacteria in the human body are able to reproduce at a rapid rate and this is a big problem when bacteria cause disease. Antibiotics are drugs that can stop bacterial growth and kill bacteria in living organisms. Antibiotics have allowed recovery of the immune system which often results in a full recovery. Penicillin, the first antibiotic, was accidentally discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928. Sir Fleming was growing bacteria on agar plates and accidentally left one open. Mold began to grow on this. Fleming noticed that no bacteria grew around the mold: it was the mold that killed the bacteria and was later called Penicillium notatum. Ten years later, Sir Howard Florey and Sir Ernst Chain discovered how to extract large quantities of the substance, called Penicillin. A good example of the effectiveness of antibiotics on human healing can be shown in a comparison between the First World War and the Second World War. During World War I, the mortality rate of soldiers was very high, not only due to soldiers dying in direct combat, but also from wounds becoming infected with bacteria. Antibiotics were not invented then and therefore there was no cure for infected wounds, which often led to soldiers dying a slow and painful death, or having to amputate the infected part of the body, which was also dangerous, since the wound of the the amputation could become infected. In World War II, the mortality rate was still high, but many argue that it was lower than in World War I because soldiers had access to antibiotics, particularly penicillin, and were therefore able to treat infected wounds. Although antibiotics .... .. middle of paper ......antibiotics are a major cause of the formation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and should be addressed thoroughly. Organic farming is the right way to follow in this field of prevention of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In an organic system, animals live in large areas and receive adequate diets, creating a healthy environment where the risk of disease is lower than in a regular farming system. Growth-promoting drugs are also prohibited, and vaccinations are used only if absolutely necessary. Fortunately, however, South Africa has the most active surveillance of antibiotic resistance than any other African country (SAMJ, 2011), so this country has a strong fighting chance in stopping “the rise of the Superbug”. The South African government must take drastic measures to promote effective use of antibiotics as we cannot return to the pre-World War II scenario where antibiotics were not effective.!