Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) was a medical microbiologist.

He made one of the greatest

accidental discoveries ever. It led to a breakthrough in medical science.

Discovering penicillin

In 1928, Fleming discovered penicillin, the first form of antibiotics. He grew cultures of bacteria on petri
dishes in the hospital where he worked. A fungalspore happened to contaminate one of the bacteria
cultures and grew into a fungal colony. The bacteria round the fungal colony failed to grow as well as the
bacteria on the other areas of the petri dish. From this, Fleming deduced that a substance produced by
the fungus must be slowing down the bacteria’s growth. He called this substance penicillin after the
fungus on the petri dish, Penicillium notatum.

Major healer

Fleming’s discovery earned him the Nobel Prize for Medicine. It led to the production of many
antibiotics. Many illnesses, such as lung and bladder infections, which are caused by bacteria can now be
cured thanks to antibiotics. Despite the advantages, the use of antibiotics also involves risks, such as
resistance.