When did alexander fleming win the nobel prize

Alexander Fleming and the discovery of penicillin

The discovery of penicillin was a major medical breakthrough. Penicillin was the first effective antibiotic that could be used to kill bacteria. This meant that cures for serious illnesses were possible even if the patient had the disease.

Penicillin had been discovered during the 19th century, but it was Alexander Fleming who first realised its great importance in 1928. During World War I, he noticed that antiseptics seemed unable to prevent infection, particularly in deep wounds. He decided to try to find something that could kill the bacteria which caused infections like septicaemia.

Penicillin was discovered almost by accident. Returning from holiday, Fleming removed the tops from some old petri dishes and noticed that the bacteria he had grown were being killed by a mould - penicillin. He used the word antibiotic Joseph lister biography.