title: Sir Howard Walter Florey--the force behind the development of penicillin.
abstract: The development of penicillin was a watershed in the battle against infectious diseases. The primary individuals responsible for its discovery and development were Sir Alexander Fleming, Sir Howard Walter Florey, and Ernst B. Chain, now primary figures in the annals of medical history. The individual who serendipitously "discovered" penicillin was Sir Alexander Fleming. Despite the determination displayed by Fleming, little notice was given to his discovery for more than a decade, and the active substance was not isolated. Finally, in 1939, Florey, along with Chain, led a team of British scientists who successfully manufactured the drug from the liquid broth in which penicillin grows. They, along with Fleming, were given the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their roles in the discovery and development of this agent. This biography focuses on the life and work of Sir Howard Walter Florey.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 66212 Fannin, A-150, Houston, TX 77030, USA. bligon@bcm.tmc.edu
authors.forename: B Lee
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Ligon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009613:Nobel Prize; D010406:Penicillins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000266:history* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D010406:Penicillins