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 laboratory synthesis of penicillin, with its intractable beta-lactam structure or "enchanted ring," proved to be one of the most difficult problems ever undertaken by organic chemists. In this book, John Sheehan the man who succeeded in synthesizing penicillin after others had given up, recounts the discovery and development of this remarkable drug.

Penicillin revolutionized healthcare and turned the modest, self-effacing Alexander Fleming into a world hero. This book tells the story of the man and his discovery set against a background of the transformation of medical research from 19th-century individualism through to teamwork and modern-day international big business.

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.