Bill Harzia's Small Stories - Bill Harzia's Small Stories

Penny Cillin

Occupation: Ruthless leader of the Antibodies and White Blood Cells.

Home: Inside Max.

Best friend: Ruthless leaders don’t need friends!

Likes: Outsmarting Bill Harzia; shoes.

Dislikes: Being outsmarted by Bill Harzia; anything that is “so last season”.

Most likely to say: “I want them gone! D’you hear me?! GONE!”; “I’m gonna get you, Bill Harzia…”

Not likely to say: “Come over some time – we could hang out together.”

But is she a good friend? That all depends on how you feel about glamorous dictators I suppose! Charming and cute one moment, angry and screaming the next, this is one lady who is definitely one tablet short of a cure…

OK, so where does Penny Cillin get her name from?

Penny Cillin gets her name from Penicillin, a type of antibiotic developed from the Penicillium fungi. It was discovered in 1928 by the Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming, and has become the most widely used antibiotic. Today it is prescribed by doctors around the world to treat serious infections caused by bacteria.

Antibodies

Occupation: Max’s own internal army.

Home: Inside Max.

Like: Beating the Germs; Looking after Max.

Dislike: Anything or anyone who dares to disagree with them or threaten Max.

But are they good friends? Antibodies don’t have friends or know what a ‘friend’ is, and they don’t even talk. It’s very sad. They do work well as team though, and can communicate with each other simply by thought. How cool is that?!

OK, so what are Antibodies?

An antibody is a large, Y-shaped protein that is produced by plasma cells and is a part of the body’s natural defences against infection. There are lots of different kinds of antibodies, known as isotypes. They identify and disable objects and substances that don’t belong inside the body, such as viruses, and stop us becoming ill.

White Blood Cells

Occupation: Max’s own internal army – only much, much bigger than his Antibdies!

Home: Inside Max.

Like: Beating the Germs; Looking after Max.

Dislike: Anything or anyone who dares get in their way or threatens Max.

Got a problem that’s too big for an Antibody? You need White Blood Cells! Are they big mothers or what?! You’re looking at every Germ’s worst nightmare! (And did I say they have bad tempers too?)

OK, so what are White Blood Cells?

White blood cells, also known as leukocytes, are part of the body’s natural defences – its immune system. There are 6 main types of white blood cell, and they are made in the body’s bone marrow. They travel around the body in the blood stream to the place where there’s an infection, to make it stop.

Infectious Entertainment!