_ ....II""lle,st'Ol)' of "Ie lin ~t tlt:Mc 'c y~ successfullY to rmat. pea WIth ~ IJ&. iBfoctiOus'diseases - begins-with &bit Qf IuC AI~ PI tIlil1g, a .S 9itisb ~lientlst.notlcEid In t$!B ftJal mould.,ad l:!"eveAted growth of ~ qerms {bacterial 1., lils ~ the ~In plot 0 me story 1'I0J0IYl1l$ Sr ~pvay Qf penidll 10 ~ years la1er by arl·Aus\ 1;1 Sdetl bam t'!undred s R Y~'89D this year, H'owar~ I: fIotey and h d ~ team's ~ systttma!JQ, detalla wotk "'~ Jl 11_ fJTIed petlicilin from an 53 i[l~1Jlg o~ , nto-a life saver. ' Emma ,au fY 50 IJSOO to tm e teliladll', at t'l'wiMlstral r:Ja • U verslty's JOOf\ CtJrti[l Scbool of Moolaal Rasecll'eh (HQw FJor~ ptayed 8 c roI'a II'l the-est)bllshmflnt at itI& School god ~!lr'S1ty t In h 11M), TIll> !/O"'"_....... ot l!1te.dJ1l1II d1Haie'&."4ICh .. po.~a~1I ~ Erl'1lil"1a's.lile w~!i8Vedby penicillin irllll IIlIaod .. 1111 IIihi' 1111\1:_ tva ~ntil>iol~; 8uI1hft;e phDl Cl(a pauilftl n Get'rJ1art refiJg g mp. tt WQf1d War II. ,1<42 -"ow ho"; b.d thlnP COIH~. Pft_ 1 lind Imagine hO\ she fett any years later. 2 ~ '1M .III~ !It II YOUl1'llll1J1 willi _I J."..,tllltw...... OlIl1dltlicln ,..,_by the tt.iituI t cooid~ blITlping iHlo mtJY wh fa lIay ..fI...boiIJg IIlven penldll" {JItIiJID 3" _ hIld ~ woriled- the man who made tile shown .~"in.IH",p"'-.ntIIIf tbll JIIII!Ilt dllly g~pIy mpooicillin ~bte. milglne!low (phOto 41 ~~, n1ClI'I'Ilrt"II' ""i[I~ IpIIbla4l If.... e). YO).l' reel if ~ met someone who savad /11/((/ii~\·lp(ltie/11 AJexatldElr'<$ who ace, an"SCalp had your 1if8;..and tllin" 01 Rorey I~ m's eyes tmpaci on the WDfld. I:te results' were SCI Bx~ Fl9rey w en. He hBd already rod ope • kn~ t it ''l\~ 1irI'Ie totest the drug rBh1ovec:J <¥'Jd llOe railed; IWEIfl Ills remaining had to D@ lane«! r~e 1'( uhl//{ //,(' IIIOf( on 1lQmal'l~,;Th n~l t rIn 94 eve to Ilad beEirl Si:lratched by a·rose Jflom. A1bE1rt the pain 01 ltle lng, H was,glvetl' 10feY ~alflel\;d A team of penjcil 'fl. aJld wltt1tn a dily h(l 16 sdentists at Oxford Un 1'SIty .,,-----------------_.... l!eCllVsr. Fl9reYs team dililn'll:!av Btjkiirl I'tlhe 1000s, wtloo enoogof the drug tp ue tha..paliel']t Wcirkiflg to.gllltlEif 0 tlfl tl rwgh to a full ~. Thlli di:l;q:ll.'eMs ~ gtoup vas not at all eff~ to ecyde. 'I bY commoo. Nowadays scientists wo !J(1J'aC.tfng II ffom I'Iis uti18 mJJed. afld together' I Ih , Florey he lJnfom.J[lalflIyhad a I p and realised that sdElnce had reach die SecaI.lGl)O the,~ui po1tIt wM~ a t Qf Sp«:i3lisls &.xpetie~ 1h8 lBam tbar1 w~ ~ - the 'job wei too big concenltated their efforts Qn siIJ:l( fQr tl(Ie peroon. cI1ldren, who did not ~c His ,earn 'COmt\lJ nCXl'd earefl.l geq n re. IR'f6$ligaIJO(l or Iheproperties at anli- In 1943 Flor'!lY travelled to Nodh t subst .,; It~ at'" AttiCa 10 test iheeffoots 1)1 p8f1lc111" produced ~ moul'd, One mem I( o wounded SOl, His ttiaJs were ttl11 team, CMln, foutJld an aS,a mimcle.lnst~d of aJ1k:1e abOOt A18~ndet' 'l~ml"9'S ampLJlalmg unllted "moo or simply 'lJcr1l wf1 fllckirlij through a roodical leave them to h, _ ed loornal, aJld this prornpl~ to soldle.rs'wot.mdabe ned a begin lookaog at penioll fl. o 2 4 6 sewfl up, and that IhEI pa . then lndMdual f11elt1ber's of tbe gl"Dl,lP \-\ours Qtt«tfeGIll'<'Ie",t. tie $IfVef'l pooler lin. Than~ t~ FIOJi OOflalnltated lhaIt Si l.ei'\liOO on llJ8QS and 15 team. tile cl'ug Was ava' Ie in which tIley had t rnJ;llSl krlowled'l». Pel'hlllps the m<dt rmpot'l:lnt eaplllddit:!nl In ....dJ.... "iwtort ....... to troo AllIed troQPs. py the E!l1d of _due_ I>V Howitfd ~~ ~ hi. man; in t94C1. 'II1'i.. kill!" ~!lIlt"ll but !hey otten me 0 exctlange ideas, Rlice. Mt IHIIJted wlth """iIII In, all'dl "'I\I1r" III (Illy, wnlllllhlll Workl War II. I lias since r Ionised O1am worked on purlf . enlc::lJln '161ir IceIteMDd wlth pOirir.,i1UIl '(In '0 or 110- """ 00"",1 ~. m~[cal sciBflca, ~ millions. of lives in 928 and A()(Eifs '0'01100 1939­ ~teriareprod e by dividing to produc WQ new cells. T rge to about twice tflei stze be1nr8 the A chroml;lSO IS copted. 'The two I1@W chromosomes move apart ancf cell wall oems belWeet'llhem. Bu 11 penictllan 1 arClUld the (l C ~ walt won't bfe to lann. n harm ~ bacterial cell walls, II slops iW ones form.-.g ( Balloon bac1e . i~l1l83ns the bacterla eat\'t rept"cduce. sa the dISease C 'I spread. ~~ ~nUI!'J •• __ orRlould It,•• p~ peniCltllit. ~ng in agarclllluraon NaltJr peolcill n adm nisteroo b petri cJI ... Jectiao, beca e rf it's swallowed stomach aoids destroy drug b@' It r the bIOOd$lream. One shot 0 'eill n t1'I days I~ 1'OQr'e than tM enllra amoont ed by Florey's team in all ow nany Im~ have you ¢QidentallV its ell" cal trialsl AbCt.lt one lfl 0 people pricked y finger 011 :l ros thorn, aJteryic to pe I '11 n. sha 11'19 sym)) oms or pel' aps a s.e: fog needle? ranging 'rom m r r shes 0 senOO$ Noy~ad6Y5, If he WOund ~rn Infecle breathIng dll !fej3, If O\.l're allef'l[t: 10 you'd be cured almost ~med ely. But e.nIQlllfI, thenl are llOW othet''llntlbiotiGs Ol'e \he second h (if is century, yoo hl;l1 QJn be- t kefl as a subs e could halte beer! In Ig trouble. Infecttons were fear$d then as cancer js fear oday.Your 9 s wooid s lieU ~p 8I1d z requlr cll1Q '" 10 release the pus. A surge I even have 0 mputaw your arm n PftIIcIUIn tlilh. ~by IMtltnng ""lUI abIl1l1lo milk. MIl In lIMt..JlIcWrM, bIIOteri. __ 9-In ~l'lICi.1n rat' 30 m J~. altempl to $~e 1he bac1IIrlll bUt can't dMde. E_...n., ,he Gel. ruptu pll:IUO'9I. YOIJr life is wastne nigh are of many 1M lous dlseases befor Howard Florey deveJoJ]@d penicillin. enicillin Vag e f oaiurally occumng lIJ1tibiotlC; d scove.-ed (Pronto~l, the first chemlcat used o oure cerlair, ctiOus diseasa , had n Cllsoovered In 1933 but hat1 serious side!l _ ts). There are now more. I 60 antibiotics. hiOO aTe su tanees tlla fl I bacteria, fu 91 and othef" mlcrobeg harmful o humar1S -the word mP..ans agalns (anfT) . e (Oio}. Ing out !btl lJIlnIolIIre 01 pepimltin w It An i'lnbbiotlc I ~ drug produced by uti' II' difficult bec8uI'" lito .....1"111. II V~I'I micro • PanicirJln is obta n In untltllll)!e. Thil Is II C model of ~ Pllnlcldln Q ItIOlec\l1e, I'Itltlned CPK 8ft&~ IPIe" peooPe number 0 forms from 'Illdllium maul 6. dllveloped fhO mDl!eltlng ..,.~ .Ro,d bra Pe icillln G Is mas widely used form ",p,._l OJl711"n. _ "[ c""bOlJ, ....Ite ~ dlO9*", ~II 01111. lulPnl:il and rt Ie f1itfUll..... and t e one that lied bacteria durl e. fOil 5........ _1m .rll bll-.n !he model cf1esne's in 1696, FI~1t1 a wGlk n .... oJHloilliQeI dl_ ? \..abqratC'Xles In IWs t\ d. J rar;t Austra~a was the first"COUltry thaI made lhe CltUg avaIlable kif ciltiian use. ow~er, seveill s ralns of bacmna beca~ esistanl to peni lIin after iI few years, throll mutation of1he Is. To OJI6rCOm6 this problem. scienti5t& in 1950smade artlflclal pen' llin by chemiCally ehangitlg natural peniclIUn. Re~tanl baclena m ply 1lOt'l­ reslst-an bacteria dSa Hospitals in A tralia nd aFOtJ wood are now seeing the arrival a tibio -reslstan aeterl dtJe to the <lvertJss of ahtlb atles, e;<pasing t B veJ'f young, yery old vey people to Infact:loos and diseases. Smell the mould. You will smelJ 8 musty ooour, wllien is penicillin Before __ producUDn 01 penlc In began, Florey ng and hr. team 1mpnvI_ WLlftl ""ollP bedpens prodl,J(;ed. Th mould Itself witl be a to Il1'O"" the _lei, El/Br1 one. the¥ had fU!I ·1110 eyiah-green colour an cantaloupe. 1'1Oduc. ~ HNc:I.~ eulN -.is_ made In ttoll e ......bedpaM Companies in Britain W~Je tJ fo- to help out on a laJ'ge Ie be~s:e of Ie wat. so Howard Flqrey and Normlln M8atley look a dan,get'l:lUs II'Sht to the United Statesirl a blacked-out p1!ll'll} ad'OSll Ih Allan c. TIl p was ag~Irt$1 the wishes of Emst Chain I who wanted to fi I patet11 their I e$S ~ ltalli wou have ll1ade \he team veI)" Ind89d, bUI t was ttl hI in Smal at he time that pat ntIng medicaldlsoovtWloo 'MIS Un ical. Flotey e'Kpl n tho to pee in the US. happ ned to be a Departr n of Agr oratofy looking for a new llse far a thick liquid thai was a by prodl,Jc.~ from the corn-milling process.