Penicillin mould, Alexander Fleming
Penicillin mould, Alexander Fleming
Scope and Contents
Case containing a colony of Penicillium notatum, the mould from which penicillin is derived.
Handwritten caption at the back: "The mould that makes Penicillin. To the S.R.C in memory of the "Rectorial". Alexander Fleming 1952" (the date was initially "1951", later corrected to "1952").
Dates
- Creation: 1952
Creator
- Fleming, Alexander, 1881-1955 (Scottish physician and microbiologist, discovered use of Penicillin as an antibiotic) (Researcher, Person)
Language of Materials
Caption in English
Conditions Governing Access
Please contact the repository in advance.
Biographical / Historical
Scottish biochemist Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) inadvertently discovered the antibacterial properties of the mould at St. Mary's Hospital, London, in 1928, when he observed its ability to inhibit the growth of staphylococcus. For his discovery, Fleming shared the 1945 Nobel Prize with Howard Walter Florey and Ernst Boris Chain, who were responsible for the purification and first clinical trials of penicillin in 1941. Infections from casualties during World War II prompted the efficient production of this landmark antibiotic into the common drug we know today.
Full Extent
1 object
Previous reference
Medals No.110
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Presented by Alexander Fleming to the Student Representative Council in 1952, to commemorate his election as Rector of the University of Edinburgh (1951-1954).
Processing Information
Catalogued by Aline Brodin in October 2024.
Topical
- Title
- Penicillin mould, Alexander Fleming, 1952
- Author
- Aline Brodin
- Date
- October 2024
- Description rules
- Isad(g)2
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk