This Day in History: <br />Penicillin Is Discovered September 28, 1928 Penicillin was discovered by Scottish <br />bacteriologist Sir Alexander Fleming. Upon his return to St. Mary's Hospital <br />in London after being on vacation in Scotland, <br />Fleming noticed that a mold had contaminated <br />Petri dishes of a common infectious bacteria. After closer investigation, Fleming <br />was stunned to realize that the <br />Penicillium notatum mold was <br />preventing the growth of the bacteria. Following a few weeks of <br />experimentation, Fleming concluded <br />that the Penicillium "mold juice" could be <br />manipulated to fight infectious diseases. Sir Alexander Fleming, via <br />'PBS News Hour' After 14 years of trial <br />and error, penicillin was perfected <br />through the collaboration of Sir Fleming, <br />Dr. Howard Florey and Dr. Ernst Chain.
