Alexander Fleming

1.

2.

is the man who discovered
penicillin. Penicillin is the first
antibiotic with a broad
antimicrobial effect. It is the
first effective medicine against
many serious diseases.

3.

Fleming was born on August 6, 1881 at Lochfield
Farm, near Darwell, in the Ayrshire region of
Scotland. He was the third of four children of farmer
Hug Fleming.
Until the age of twelve,
Fleming attended a rural
school in Darvel, and then
another two years at
Kilmarnock Academy. At
the age of fourteen, he
moved with his brothers to
London, where he began
working as a clerk in a
shipping office and also
attending classes at the
Royal Institution.
His older brother Thomas was
already working as an
ophthalmologist and, following
his example, Alexander also
decided to study medicine. He
had no strong predilection for
any particular branch of
medical practice. His work on
surgery showed that he could
be an outstanding surgeon. But
life sent him down a path
related to “laboratory
medicine.”

4.

"Research to Penicillin"
In early 1915, Fleming reported the discovery of a large number of
species of microbes in wounds, some of which were still completely
unknown. It turned out that many of the wound infections were
caused by microbes present on fragments of clothing and in dirt that
entered deep into the body during wounds.
Observations of wounds also led to the fact that the use of antiseptics
for several hours after injury does not completely destroy bacterial
infections, although many surgeons believed so. Fleming was able to
show that, firstly, antiseptics did not reach all microbes, because very
often the latter penetrated deep into the tissues of bones, muscles,
etc., and, secondly, the antibacterial activity of the solution used very
quickly decreased when interacting with protein and other biological
substances, as well as pus and blood. He also didn’t make a big
splash in the medical community, but we’ll skip them.

5.

6.

"Obtaining antibiotics"
Fleming underestimated his
discovery,
believing
that
obtaining a cure would be very
difficult. His work is continued
by Oxford scientists Howard
Florey and Ernst Chain. In
1940, they isolated the drug in
its pure form and studied its
therapeutic properties.
●Alexander Fleming
On February 12, 1941, the first injection of penicillin was given
to a human. Florey and Chain's patient was a London policeman
who was dying of blood poisoning. After several injections he felt
better, but the supply of medicine quickly ran out and the patient
died. In 1943, Florey transferred the technology for obtaining a
new drug to American scientists, and mass production of the
antibiotic was established in the USA. In 1945, Alexander
Fleming, Howard Florey and Ernest Chain were awarded the Nobel
Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
●Howard Florey
●Ernst Chain

7.

On March 11, 1955, Fleming died at his home in London from a
heart attack. He was cremated and a week later his ashes were
buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.
The discovery of penicillin changed the world of
modern medicine and made it possible to create a
number of vital antibiotics. Penicillin has saved and
still saves millions of people around the world.
The laboratory at St Mary's Hospital in London where
Fleming discovered penicillin is now the Fleming
Museum.

8.

Test (10 questions)
1. When was Alexander Fleming born?
A) August 6, 1881
B) December 6, 1881
C) March 15, 1883
2. When was the first injection of penicillin made to a person?
A) February 10, 1941
B) August 12, 1954
C) February 12, 1941
3. When did Alexander Fleming die?
A) March 26, 1950
B) March 11, 1955
C) October 9, 1955
4. When were Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain awarded the Nobel
Prize?
A) in 1945
B) in 1955
C) in 1930
5. What did Fleming notice on the plate when he returned to the laboratory?
A) mold mushrooms
B) the absence of any microbes
C) ordinary microbes

9.

6. Where did Fleming grow up?
A) in New York
B) in Scotland
C) California
7. Who gave the technology of obtaining penicillin to American scientists?
A) Howard Florey
B) Alexander Fleming
C) Ernst Chain
8. Who invented penicillin?
A) Ernst Chain
B) Howard Florey
C) Alexander Fleming
9. Who was the first patient?
A) the policeman
B) the cook
C) the scientist
10. In what year did penicillin get its name?
A) March 7, 1929
B) September 17, 1920
C) March 1, 1929
Answers: 1)a, 2)c, 3)b, 4)a, 5)а, 6)b, 7)а, 8)с, 9)a, 10)a

10.

Alexander Fleming concluded that mold produces a
substance that kills bacteria. He subsequently isolated the
molecule now known as “penicillin”. This was the first
modern antibiotic.