Alexander Fleming

Pioneer of PENICILLIN

The Scottish bacteriologist whose discovery of the first antibiotic has saved millions of lives.

Wounded soldiers recover at a military hospital during World War I. By the way… The laboratory at St Mary’s Hospital, where I discovered penicillin, is now a public museum.

On the battlefield

Born in Scotland in 1881, Alexander Fleming moved to London in 1895. He went on to study medicine at St Mary’s Hospital before working for the hospital RESEARCH team. During World War I, Fleming worked in battlefield hospitals in France, where he was upset by how many soldiers died from infected wounds.

Who came before...

English scientist Edward

JEnnEr performed the world’s first vaccination in 1796. Smallpox was England’s deadliest disease before the vaccine was introduced. In the 1860s, British surgeon

JosEph ListEr was the first person to promote the use of hygienic sprays, antiseptics, and sterilizing equipment to stop the spread of germs.

Technicians at work in a penicillin manufacturing laboratory

Bacteria blaster

After the war, Fleming returned to his research at St Mary’s.

In 1928, he noticed that the

STAPHYLOCOCCUS bacteria he had been growing in his laboratory had become contaminated with mould. This mould formed a bacteria-free zone around itself. Fleming soon realized chemicals inside the mould could destroy bacteria. This anti-bacterial substance, named penicillin, was the world’s first antibiotic.

Medical trials

Years of experiments with penicillin followed. When tests on human patients in 1941 PROVED SUCCESSFUL, American medicine companies began to produce penicillin in large quantities. The first supplies treated wounded World War II soldiers, greatly reducing the death rate.

Did you know? Asteroid 91006 Fleming in the Asteroid Belt is named in honour of Alexander Fleming.

Who came after...

In 1943, American microbiologists

Selman WakSman and alBert Schatz discovered streptomycin, a new antibiotic used to cure tuberculosis – an infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs.

Prized penicillin

Penicillin became the main treatment for many diseases, including gangrene, diphtheria, and pneumonia. Fleming was KNIGHTED in 1944, and he jointly received the Nobel Prize in Medicine a year later.

Fleming’s groundbreaking discovery led to the introduction of other antibiotics to attack germs, fungi, and parasites. One unexpected moment in the laboratory made our planet a healthier and safer place. How he changed the world

During the 1970s, American chemist Gertrude B elion developed acyclovir, the first widely available antiviral drug, which helped combat the virus that causes chickenpox and shingles.