Before the use of antibiotics, sulphonamides were the only drugs that could kill a wide range of bacteria. In 1932, German bacteriologist Gerhard Domagk discovered the first prontosil, a non-antibiotic anti-bacterial drug. Scientists later realized that this broke down in the body to give a more potent drug, sulphanilamide.
From 1936, after clinical trials by British doctor Leonard Colebrook, several sulpha drugs were used to save thousands of lives. They are still used when antibiotics are ineffective. For his remarkable achievements in the fight against infections, Domagk received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1939.
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