Who is the scientist that discovered penicillin, and in what year?
Sir Alexander Fleming, a Scottish bacteriologist and microbiologist, discovered the antibiotic penicillin, derived from the fungus Penicillium notatum, in 1928. While working on influenza virus, Fleming observed that mold had developed accidentally on a Staphylococcus plate culture and that the mold had created a bacteria-free circle around itself. Upon further experimentation, he found that the mold culture prevented bacteria growth even when diluted. Fleming published his discovery in 1929. Although he continued his investigations until 1940, Fleming was not able to find an interested chemist to further refine usable penicillin. When Fleming abandoned penicillin, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain started researching and mass producing it with funds from the U.S. and British governments. Mass production started after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. For his discovery of penicillin, Fleming shared the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine with Florey and Chain.
Sir Alexander Fleming, a Scottish bacteriologist and microbiologist, discovered the antibiotic penicillin, derived from the fungus Penicillium notatum, in 1928. While working on influenza virus, Fleming observed that mold had developed accidentally on a Staphylococcus plate culture and that the mold had created a bacteria-free circle around itself. Upon further experimentation, he found that the mold culture prevented bacteria growth even when diluted. Fleming published his discovery in 1929. Although he continued his investigations until 1940, Fleming was not able to find an interested chemist to further refine usable penicillin. When Fleming abandoned penicillin, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain started researching and mass producing it with funds from the U.S. and British governments. Mass production started after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. For his discovery of penicillin, Fleming shared the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine with Florey and Chain. Sources:
