title: A re-appraisal of the conventional history of antibiosis and Penicillin.
abstract: The popular perception of the history of antibiosis and penicillin is that Alexander Fleming was the sole researcher on penicillin. The literature, however, has documentation of preceding persons who reported definitively on these topics, from the late 19thcentury. Divergent reports on "firsts" in the discovery of antimicrobial activity of Penicillium and on the use of penicillin as a therapeutic agent, are present. This review adds knowledge from diverse sources, and restores historical priorities to the conventional story of Penicillin.
authors.affiliation: Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Arseculeratne
authors.affiliation: Consultant Dermatologist, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arseculeratne
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000266:history* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000898:Antibiosis; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000266:history; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D010406:Penicillins / Q000266:history* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010407:Penicillium / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010406:Penicillins
keywords: antibiosis; history; penicillin