John Lykoudis ( el, Ιωάννης Λυκούδης; 1910 in

Missolonghi Missolonghi or Messolonghi ( el, Μεσολόγγι, ) is a municipality of 34,416 people (according to the 2011 census) in western Greece. The town is the capital of Aetolia-Acarnania regional unit, and the seat of the municipality of Iera Polis ...

– 1980) was a Greek physician and politician. He treated patients who had

peptic ulcer disease Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a break in the inner lining of the stomach, the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while one in the first part of the intestines i ...

with

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention o ...

long before it was commonly recognized that

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

were a dominant cause for the disease. He became mayor of

in 1951, serving until 1959.

Career

After treating himself for peptic ulcer disease with antibiotics in 1958 and finding the treatment effective, Lykoudis began treating patients with antibiotics. After experimenting with several combinations of antibiotics he eventually arrived at a combination which he termed ''Elgaco'' and which he patented in 1961. It has been estimated that he treated more than 30,000 patients. In his time he had great difficulties in persuading the Greek medical establishment about the effectiveness of the treatment. He was given a fine of 4000

drachma The drachma ( el, δραχμή , ; pl. ''drachmae'' or ''drachmas'') was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history: # An ancient Greek currency unit issued by many Greek city states during a period of ten centuries, fro ...

s by a disciplinary committee, and indicted in the Greek courts. He was unable to get an article published in the ''

Journal of the American Medical Association ''The Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of bio ...

'' and was not able to get the established pharmaceutical companies sufficiently interested in the treatment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lykoudis, John Greek general practitioners 1910 births 1980 deaths People from Missolonghi 20th-century Greek physicians

Career

See also

References