Alexander Fleming Biography
The Nobel Prize winner and discoverer of Penicillin, Alexander Fleming was born on 6th August 1881 at Lochfield farm near Darvel in East Ayrshire, Scotland. He was the seventh child among eight other siblings.
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After completing his early education from Loudoun Moor School and Darvel School, Fleming was suggested by his older brother to opt a career in medicine. In 1901, Alexander was enrolled at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London. He qualified and became a surgeon in 1906. During the war between Britain and Germany in 1914, Fleming offered his services to British Royal Army Medical to cure the dying soldiers from the infected wound.
However, there was no known cure to this mysterious infection that broke out all of a sudden. Fleming continued the search for anti –bacterial agent, which may have saved the life of thousand of soldiers due to infection. It was only after the World War I, when Fleming made an accidental discovery of some kind of blue mold which seemed capable of curing the infection. It was found that the particular mold belongs to Penicillium genus and thus named after it. Followed by a series of other experiments, later it was proved and led to the discovery of a magical medicine – Penicillin. This medicine has positive anti-bacterial effect on bacteria’s such as staphylococci, scarlet fever, pneumonia, meningitis and diphtheria.
Fleming did not get enough support and recognition from the medical fraternity initially and any further research was stopped. However, in 1930, scientists got enough evidence about the curative property of the medicine and appreciated Fleming’s effort. It was then penicillin was undertaken for mass production by the British and the American drug companies.
During World War II, this miracle cure was used to treat many infected soldiers. In the year 1945, Fleming was awarded with Nobel Prize for his discovery. “Nature makes penicillin; I just found it”, was his reaction to his achievement. Fleming was married to a nurse, Sarah and had only child Robert, who was a general medical practitioner. After Sarah’s death, Fleming married to Dr. Amalia Koutsouri Vourekas, a Greek colleague at St Mary. Alexander Fleming continued to serve St. Mary Hospital until his death in 1955.
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His greatest gift to mankind ever! Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. He was a Scottish biologist and bacteriologist who had an immense understanding of medicine. He wrote many articles on bacteriology, immunology and chemotherapy.