• The Discovery of Penicillin

  • Sep 19 2023
  • Length: 5 mins
  • Podcast

The Discovery of Penicillin

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  • Summary

  • Penicillin, the first natural antibiotic, was discovered in 1928 by Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming. While researching Staphylococcus, a bacterium that causes boils, sore throats, and abscesses, Fleming noticed a mold called Penicillium notatum contaminating his petri dishes and that bacteria were not growing around this mold. After further exploration, he found that this mold produced a substance that killed a range of harmful bacteria and named it penicillin. This groundbreaking discovery marked the dawn of antibiotics era, providing a revolutionary tool for fighting bacterial infections. However, it wasn't until 1945 when it started being mass-produced due to the efforts of Australian pathologist Howard Florey and his colleague Ernst Chain. Since then, penicillin has saved countless lives worldwide, leading to Fleming, Florey and Chain being awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945.

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