Kamal Ghorui
One of the most significant discoveries in the field of medicine was achieved in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. It was not the result of an intentionally conducted experiment but happened accidentally during Fleming’s work in his laboratory in St. Mary’s Hospital, London.Fleming noticed that some kind of mould grew on the plate with bacteria. There was an unusual zone of no bacterial growth near the mould. According to a paper published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Fleming understood that the mould emitted some antibacterial agents. It became a starting point for the development of the first widely used antibiotic, named penicillin.Observation made by Alexander FlemingOne can find information about the window being left open, allowing mould to enter the laboratory. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that it happened. The fact, however, confirmed by sources, is that Fleming observed some mould growing in his contaminated plate.Fleming identified this type of mould as Penicillium notatum. It affected not just one specific kind of bacteria. Penicillin inhibited various types of pathogens.As pointed out by the American Chemical Society, penicillin inhibited bacteria like Streptococcus and Meningococcus. The wide range of applications added to the importance of the discovery.What made penicillin revolutionary?Prior to penicillin, bacterial infections were usually lethal. There was little doctors could do to help their patients overcome infection. Penicillin represented an innovative approach. It offered a new solution for treating infections by destroying bacteria without doing any harm to the patient. Soon, Fleming’s discovery became referred to as the start of the era of antimicrobial agents. Thus, the discovery led to an entirely new generation of drugs that allowed treating infections more efficiently.
A contaminated lab plate helped create life-saving penicillin. Image credit – Wikimedia
Fleming did not finalize his work on penicillin himselfAfter the discovery of penicillin, there was still much work to be done. Penicillin proved to be hard to stabilise and isolate from contaminants.Penicillin could not be produced in quantity. This is why it was not in widespread use. Many years after Alexander Fleming’s discovery, other scientists such as Howard Florey and Ernst Chain worked on the extraction and purification of penicillin. They were successful in their efforts, leading to clinical testing of the drug.This demonstrates how many researchers are involved in making major breakthroughs.From laboratory to life-saving medicineThe production of early forms of penicillin proved difficult since they had to be produced in large numbers. The war led to an increase in infections, which called for more production.Scientists managed to improve on the strains that produce penicillin, as described in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. A more productive strain of penicillin was isolated from a cantaloupe. This made the large-scale production possible, and it could be distributed and administered in hospitals.The outcome of this process was a huge reduction in deaths caused by bacteria.The influence of penicillin on subsequent researchPenicillin inspired further exploration of nature and led to the discovery of more effective medications. As the historians put it, the development of science often involves using unexpected findings. Scientists have to be able to see the potential in seemingly accidental results.The notion of an accidental contamination of Petri dishes is partially true. However, Fleming did not dismiss the oddities he observed. On the contrary, the physician recognised their importance and conducted further studies.The influence of the discovery on medicinePenicillin ranks among the most significant medical discoveries of the 20th century.However, surgeries and chemotherapeutic procedures require the use of antibiotics to protect against any potential infection. The invention would not have been possible without penicillin.It has also had a great impact on the pharmaceutical industry, as scientists proved that nature can offer us some strong drugs.Bottom line, though the discovery took decades to materialise into something useful, it all started from one observation that was made by Fleming during his routine work in the lab.
