This Day in History:
Penicillin Is Discovered September 28, 1928 Penicillin was discovered by Scottish
bacteriologist Sir Alexander Fleming. Upon his return to St. Mary's Hospital
in London after being on vacation in Scotland,
Fleming noticed that a mold had contaminated
Petri dishes of a common infectious bacteria. After closer investigation, Fleming
was stunned to realize that the
Penicillium notatum mold was
preventing the growth of the bacteria. Following a few weeks of
experimentation, Fleming concluded
that the Penicillium "mold juice" could be
manipulated to fight infectious diseases. Sir Alexander Fleming, via
'PBS News Hour' After 14 years of trial
and error, penicillin was perfected
through the collaboration of Sir Fleming,
Dr. Howard Florey and Dr. Ernst Chain.