Alexander Fleming (to the 140th anniversary of his birth)

Abstract

Alexander Fleming is a prominent Scottish scientist, Nobel laureate, and bacteriologist who discovered penicillin. He was born near the small town Darwell in Scotland. He studied at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School and received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from London University. The research of the young scientist began with the study of the etiology, diagnosis and vaccine therapy of infectious diseases, he soon began working on finding treatment options for patients with bacterial infections with a talented military doctor Almroth Wright. Working in the Royal Military Medical Service during the First World War, A. Wright and O. Fleming showed that the use of antiseptics after injury does not destroy bacterial pathogens effectively. After the war, O. Fleming made an extremely important discovery of a lytic enzyme with a pronounced antibacterial effect - lysozyme. This discovery prompted him to search for antibacterial drugs actively. In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic – penicillin. He found that penicillin is an effective antibacterial substance that can affect pyogenic cocci and diphtheria bacilli. The widespread introduction of penicillin into clinical practice has saved hundreds millions of lives. Keywords: penicillin, lysozyme, antibiotics, bacterial infections.