History tells us that, while infected with a cold, Fleming transferred some of his nasopharyngeal mucus onto a Petri dish. Not known for fastidious laboratory organisation, he placed the dish among the clutter at his desk and left it there, forgotten, for two weeks. In that time, numerous colonies of bacteria grew and proliferated. However, the area where the mucus had been inoculated remained clear. Upon further investigation, Fleming discovered the presence of a substance in the mucus that inhibited bacterial growth and he named it lysozyme.
He also discovered lysozyme in tears, saliva, skin, hair and fingernails. He was soon able to isolate larger amounts of lysozyme from egg white, but in subsequent experiments found that this enzyme was effective against only a small number of non-harmful bacteria.
In , Fleming began a series of experiments involving the common staphylococcal bacteria. An uncovered Petri dish sitting next to an open window became contaminated with mould spores.
Fleming observed that the bacteria in proximity to the mould colonies were dying, as evidenced by the dissolving and clearing of the surrounding agar gel. He was able to isolate the mould and identified it as a member of the Penicillium genus. He found it to be effective against all Gram-positive pathogens, which are responsible for diseases such as scarlet fever, pneumonia, gonorrhoea, meningitis and diphtheria.
But I suppose that was exactly what I did. Although Fleming published the discovery of penicillin in the British Journal of Experimental Pathology in , the scientific community greeted his work with little initial enthusiasm. It was not until , just as he was contemplating retirement, that two scientists, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, became interested in penicillin.
In time, they were able to mass-produce it for use during World War II. Fleming received many awards for his achievements. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in and elevated to the level of Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology at the University of London in Time Magazine named Fleming one of the most important people of the 20th century.
Fleming was a quiet, patient and modest gentleman, not given to displays of emotion, with a natural shyness that made him avoid accolades and attention. He could be silent to the point of being inscrutable, making it difficult even for his wife and closest friends to gauge his moods and desires. He was occasionally brusque and aloof, yet charming and gentle among friends and loved ones. After nine years of marriage, they had a son named Robert Fleming, who went on to become a general practitioner.
Sareen died after 34 years of marriage, and her death affected Fleming profoundly. Jump to Page. Search inside document. Ama como si nunca hubieses sido herido. Related Interests Leisure. More From educblogs. Luciano Oremans. Patricia Pizarro. Popular in Fiction. Gerardo Diaz. Rodrigo A. Angela Romero Gallego. Alcazar Marenco. Manuel Susarte Rogel. Amer Uceda Paredes. Alfonso Torres. Edgar Norabuena Figueroa. Ingrid Alejandra Concha. Ana Fierros. Alfredo Milano-Iris Herrera. Fdo R. Ruth Dvorquez Flores.
Jorge Alejandro Ramos Fuentes. Johennys Paola. In his younger days he was a keen member of the Territorial Army and he served from to as a private in the London Scottish Regiment. It was later edited and republished in Nobel Lectures. To cite this document, always state the source as shown above. Dr Fleming died on March 11th in and is buried in St. Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page.
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