Discovery and Development of Penicillin
19 November 1999, The Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum, London, UK
Penicillin Landmark Unveiled as Curtain-Raiser for Chemistry Week 1999 |
The discovery and development of the antibiotic penicillin is one of the most important scientific breakthroughs of the 20th Century.
To celebrate this, the Royal Society of Chemistry, in a transatlantic association with the American Chemical Society, unveiled an 'International Historic Chemical Landmark' to penicillin at St Mary's Hospital, London on the 19 November 1999. The Landmark commemorates Sir Alexander Fleming and the other scientists who worked on the medicine that would change the world. The ceremony was attended by chemists from both sides of the Atlantic, and the RSC was particularly delighted to welcome Dr Norman Heatley to the ceremony, one of the team of Oxford scientists who first made penicillin into a useable medicinal form.
"Chance favours the prepared mind."
Penicillin was discovered almost by accident. Alexander Fleming, on returning from holiday to his laboratories at St Mary's hospital, found that the fungal mould Penicillium notatum had infected some lab dishes on which he was growing bacteria for other experiments. He noticed that the bacteria could not survive near the mould, and went on to correctly predict that a chemical secreted by the mould was responsible for this and that it had an anti-bacterial action. Fleming named this new chemical penicillin.
American scientists were then responsible for capitalising on the findings and producing penicillin in bulk quantities. The importance of penicillin was fully realised during the Second World War, where it prevented thousands of deaths from gangrene and infected wounds. Along with the other antibiotics, it revolutionised healthcare, dramatically reduced mortality rates and gave birth to the modern pharmaceutical industry.
The Landmark Award
The award of the Landmark, only the second to be presented to a site in the UK, also marked the launch of the Royal Society of Chemistry's National Chemistry Week. Chemistry Week 1999 ran from 19-26 November on the theme Chemistry for Health, and events took place throughout the UK and Ireland to celebrate the contribution of chemists and chemistry to consumer and public health. These included public lectures, displays and hands-on exhibits as well as schools competitions and parliamentary visits.
The International Historic Chemical Landmarks project is an initiative from the American Chemical Society. It highlights sites around the globe where crucial chemical breakthroughs were made.
