Using anti-biotics in the past for personal use

[Bertie Wooster]

Suppose I decided I wanted to live a long life, except in 15th century England and went back in time to that era. And suppose I brought a lifetime supply of 2006's best antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and other such pharmaceuticals with me.

I have two questions about the antibiotics:

A)Would the world's best antibiotics from this year be effective in 15th century England? Would I be safe from bad illness?

B)Would someone and his wife(no children) using current anti-biotics in the 14th century affect bacteria in the early 21st century? Would there be any repercussions?

[Sikon]

A)Would the world's best antibiotics from this year be effective in 15th century England? Would I be safe from bad illness?

Antibiotics would not cure viral illnesses, i.e. colds, smallpox, rabies, etc. I don't know which particular viral illnesses would be the risks in that location and time, but presumably there would be some of concern.

B)Would someone and his wife(no children) using current anti-biotics in the 14th century affect bacteria in the early 21st century? Would there be any repercussions?

Antibiotics resistance should typically come at a slight competitive disadvantage to the bacteria outside of an environment with the antibiotics, so any resistant strain created by a couple people using antibiotics should fail to become prevalent. Indeed, it might diminish long before the 20th century if out-competed by other bacteria without the genetic baggage. So there would probably not be long-term repercussions.

[Wyrm]

A)Would the world's best antibiotics from this year be effective in 15th century England? Would I be safe from bad illness?

You would be reasonably safe from the kind of thing antibiotics handle: bacterial infections. In the 14th century, most bacterial strains would be sensitive to a large range of antibiotics, basically as sensitive as they had been when antibiotics were first introduced. However, your most important weapon against infection is good hygine.

That means fresh, potable running water and a good septic system (septic tank and leach field), essentially.

B)Would someone and his wife(no children) using current anti-biotics in the 14th century affect bacteria in the early 21st century? Would there be any repercussions?

If it's only one family, and the antibiotics are taken as directed (ie, for the full course, which continues even after you become asymtomatic), then there's little chance of resistance, and especially if they are taken in combinatorial cocktails. Even if you get unlucky and a strain does become resistant, then there's a good chance that, by the time the 20th century rolls around, the strain would be outclassed by non-resistant strains and die out. (Resistance to antibiotics carries a metabolic cost.)

[brianeyci]

Been reading Connie Willis's Doomsday Book? It's a Hugo/Nebula award winning book about time travel.

More interesting would be removing the lifetime supply and whether you could manufacture antibiotics in a medieval setting. I am thinking of something like the Professor did in Sliders, growing mould and extracting penicillin.