The Mold In Dr. Florey's Coat: The Story Of The Penicillin Miracle

Synopsis

Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin in his London laboratory in 1928 and its eventual development as the first antibiotic by a team at Oxford University headed by Howard Florey and Ernst Chain in 1942 led to the introduction of the most important family of drugs of the twentieth century.

Yet credit for penicillin is largely misplaced. Neither Fleming nor Florey and his associates ever made real money from their achievements; instead it was the American labs that won patents on penicillin's manufacture and drew royalties from its sale. Why this happened, why it took fourteen years to develop penicillin, and how it was finally done is a fascinating story of quirky individuals, missed opportunities, medical prejudice, brilliant science, shoestring research, wartime pressures, misplaced modesty, conflicts between mentors and their protegees, and the passage of medicine from one era to the next.

Includes Bibliographic references and extensive notes. At the end of the book, after the index are pages of photo captions with some image descriptions.

Copyright:

2005

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

317 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780805077780

Publisher:

St. Martin's Press

Date of Addition:

11/29/15

Copyrighted By:

Eric Lax

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

Yes

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Science, Medicine

Grade Levels:

College Freshman, College Sophomore, College Junior, College Senior, Graduate Student

Submitted By:

Liz Halperin

Proofread By:

N/A

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.