In 1941, a policeman in Oxford scratched himself on a rose thorn and developed a life-threatening infection. He was given a new treatment. What was it, and what was the outcome of this experiment?

NatalieW

He was given penicillin, and was the first patient to receive the antibiotic. He began to recover almost immediately, but unfortunately, there was not enough isolated penicillin to see his treatment through to completion (despite frantic attempts to extract more from the patient's urine) and he eventually died. See http://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/florey/story.htm Feb 22 06, 5:23 PM

lanfranco

Excellent, Natalie, a yay to you! I had a conversation with my doctor the other day, concerning the rampant use of antibiotics, even for illnesses for which they are not effective. It occurred to me that many people may not be aware of how recently antibiotics were developed or of the history involved. Feb 22 06, 5:32 PM

NatalieW

It's a dangerous thing when people visit a doctor and want antibiotics for a cold or something - that kind of misuse leads to antibiotic-resistant strains of nasties. This question was a good opportunity for me to shine a bit of light on Howard Florey, who tends to be forgotten when it comes to penicillin. :) Feb 22 06, 6:29 PM