A hundred years ago in the United States, one out of three children was expected to die of an infectious disease before the age of five. Early death or severe lifelong debilitation from scarlet fever, diphtheria, tuberculosis, meningitis, and many other bacterial diseases was a fearsome yet undeniable fact of life to most of the world's population. The introduction of modern drugs to control infections in the 1930s began as a medical revolution that has added significantly to the lifespan and health of humans. It is no wonder that for many years, antibiotics in particular were regarded as the miracle cure-all for infectious diseases. In later discussions, we will evaluate this misconception in light of the shortcomings of chemotherapy. Although antimicrobic drugs have greatly reduced the incidence of certain infections, they have definitely not eradicated infectious disease and probably never will. In fact, in some parts of the world, mortality rates from infectious diseases are as high as before the arrival of antimicrobic drugs. Nevertheless, humans have been taking medicines to try to control diseases for thousands of years.