A PRESENTATION PENICILLIN SAMPLE
A PRESENTATION PENICILLIN SAMPLE

PROBABLY FROM THE ORIGINAL CULTURE

Details
A PRESENTATION PENICILLIN SAMPLE
Probably from the original culture
manuscript label to reverse 'Penicillium notatum ; the mould that makes penicillin ; Presented to me by Sir Alexander Flemming in 1948 ; Robert Fleming', in glazed mount.
2in. (5cm.) diam.
Provenance
Given to the current owner's father by Robert Fleming when working at J & R Fleming Ltd.

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Lot Essay

Sir Alexander Fleming's work on penicillin grew out of his investigation of lysozymes--bacteriolytic agents found in such diverse places as pears, turnip juice and milk. Fleming noted their ability to dissolve contaminated cultures, and in 1929, his culture plate of Penicillium mould led him to write that it "may be an efficient antiseptic for application to, or injections into, areas infected with penicillin-sensitive microbes".
'Fleming remains one of the best-known British scientists of the twentieth century. He became important for two reasons: first, his role in the development of modern antibiotics, and second, his place as an iconic British scientist' (ODNB).

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