Alexander Fleming
1881–1955 · Scotland · Discoverer of penicillin.
Contribution
In 1928, observed that Penicillium notatum produced a substance that inhibited staphylococci — penicillin, the first broadly useful antibiotic scaffold of the modern era.
Why It Still Matters
Opened the antibiotic age. Also a cautionary tale: discovery alone was not enough — purification and scale-up (Howard Florey, Ernst Chain) made it medicine.
Key Links
- Hub: Medical Microbiology History
- Domains: MOC - Antimicrobials · MOC - Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) · MOC - Mycology (producing mold)
- Peers: Paul Ehrlich · Howard Florey · Ernst Chain
- MOC: MOC - Fundamentals of Microbiology
Active Recall
- What observation led to penicillin’s discovery?
- Why wasn’t Fleming’s discovery immediately a clinical drug?