The history of penicillin.

A biography of Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin.

Eric Lax's The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat is the dramatic, untold story of the discovery of the first wonder drug, the men who led the way, and how it changed the modern world

The author sets the discovery and use of penicillin in the broader context of social and cultural changes across the world. He examines the drug's contributions to medicine and agriculture, and investigates the global spread of resistant bacteria as antibiotic use continues to rise.

This simple short book will show students how to make Penicillin. Sir Alexander Fleming discovered the bacteria-killing properties of penicillin while conducting research at St. Mary's Hospital in London in the late 1920s. Upon returning to his disorganized lab from a weekend vacation, Fleming noticed that one of the Petri dishes was uncovered and a blue-green mold was growing inside. Rather than tossing the contaminated dish into the trash, he looked carefully and observed that the mold had killed bacteria growing nearby. Quite by accident Fleming had discovered penicillin, the antibiotic released by the mold of the genus Penicillium.