Alexander Fleming

Alexander Fleming was born on August 6, 1881 in Lochfield, Britain, within a farming family settled in the valley of Scotland. Fleming was, until 1894, a rudimentary education. The age of thirteen, he moved to London with a brother who practiced there as a doctor At twenty years, the estate of a small legacy led him to study medicine. He earned a scholarship to St. Mary's Hospital Medical School Paddington institution which in 1901 began a relationship that would last a lifetime. In 1908 he graduated, earning the gold medal of the University of London. Appointed professor of bacteriology in 1928 he became professor and retired as emeritus in 1948, although he held until 1954 the direction of Wright-Fleming Institute of Microbiology, founded in his honor and that of his former teacher and colleague. Fleming's career was devoted to the investigation of the human body's defenses against bacterial infections. His name is associated with two important discoveries of lysozyme and penicillin.

In September 1928, Fleming, during a study on mutations of certain colonies of staphylococci, found that one of the crops had been accidentally contaminated by a microorganism from the outside air, a fungus later identified as Penicillium notatum. He made various experiences designed to establish the degree of susceptibility to stock a wide range of pathogenic bacteria, noting that many of them were quickly destroyed, by injecting rabbits and mice in culture, showed it was safe for leukocytes, which was an index be reliable to be harmless to animal cells. Eight months after his first observations, Fleming published the results in a memory now considered a classic in the field, but then did not have much resonance. With some delay, finally achieved fame Fleming, who was elected to the Royal Society in 1942, was knighted two years later and finally in 1945, Florey and Chain shared the Nobel Prize. He died in London on March 11, 1955. Alexander Fleming naci el 6 de agosto de 1881 en Lochfield, Gran Bretaa, en el seno de una familia campesina afincada en la vega escocesa. Fleming recibi, hasta 1894, una educacin bastante rudimentaria. Cumplidos los trece aos, se traslad a vivir a Londres con un hermanastro que ejerca all como mdico. A los veinte aos, la herencia de un pequeo legado le llev a estudiar medicina. Obtuvo una beca para el St. Mary's Hospital Medical School de Paddington, institucin con la que, en 1901, inici una relacin que haba de durar toda su vida. En 1908 se licenci, obteniendo la medalla de oro de la Universidad de Londres. Nombrado profesor de bacteriologa, en 1928 pas a ser catedrtico, retirndose como emrito en 1948, aunque ocup hasta 1954 la

direccin del Wright-Fleming Institute of Microbiology, fundado en su honor y en el de su antiguo maestro y colega. La carrera profesional de Fleming estuvo dedicada a la investigacin de las defensas del cuerpo humano contra las infecciones bacterianas. Su nombre est asociado a dos descubrimientos importantes: la lisozima y la penicilina. En septiembre de 1928, Fleming, durante un estudio sobre las mutaciones de determinadas colonias de estafilococos, comprob que uno de los cultivos haba sido accidentalmente contaminado por un microorganismo procedente del aire exterior, un hongo posteriormente identificado como el Penicillium notatum. Realiz diversas experiencias destinadas a establecer el grado de susceptibilidad al caldo de una amplia gama de bacterias patgenas, observando que muchas de ellas resultaban rpidamente destruidas; inyectando el cultivo en conejos y ratones, demostr que era inocuo para los leucocitos, lo que constitua un ndice fiable de que deba resultar inofensivo para las clulas animales. Ocho meses despus de sus primeras observaciones, Fleming public los resultados obtenidos en una memoria que hoy se considera un clsico en la materia, pero que por entonces no tuvo demasiada resonancia. Con un cierto retraso, la fama alcanz por fin a Fleming, quien fue elegido miembro de la Royal Society en 1942, recibi el ttulo de sir dos aos ms tarde y, por fin, en 1945, comparti con Florey y Chain el premio Nobel. Falleci en Londres el 11 de marzo de 1955.

Nostradamus (Michel de Notre-Dame, Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France, 1503 - Hall, 1566) French physician and astrologer, famous for the prophecies published in 1555 under the title The true centuries and prophecies, which anticipates the future of mankind until the end of the world. "Michel Nostradamus, the man most famous and the most famous of those who have become famous for a long time by preaching deduced from knowledge of the stars, was born in the village of Saint-Remy in Provence, the year of grace, 1503 , a Thursday December 14, around noon.
In Avignon and Montpellier studied literature, philosophy and medicine as well, amazing friends and teachers for their strange powers and his infallible memory. He was twenty years old when, during a plague epidemic that ravaged the city of Montpellier, invented preventive powders were very successful. Become apothecary and perfumer, settled in Marseille and devoted his ingenuity to the development of elixirs, perfumes and love potions. It was in those days of 1546 when an event

occurred that would lead to Nostradamus to the threshold of fame: the terrible epidemic called the "coal Provence." Nostradamus invented a concoction made of cypress resin, ambergris and juice of rose petals that had collected in baskets each morning. The drug, inexplicably, managed to cut the spread and coated the creator of honor and prestige to the point of being required his presence in Lyon when there is declared a new outbreak of plague. He had been eleven years without children and suffered watching her royal husband surrounded by loving. After eating the disgusting prepared to assume Nostradamus, Catherine began its miraculous birth reaching a total of ten children.

Nostradamus clients attending during the day and stayed overnight locked in an observatory that had been installed on the roof of his house. Nostradamus prophecies preferred to keep her for himself, until in 1555 decided to make them light. The success of these cryptic quatrains was immediate. The last days of the prophet are also strictly a lawyer narrated by Jean-Aimes of Chavigny: "It had been sixty years and was very weak because of the common diseases that afflicted them, especially arthritis and gout. He died on 2 July 1566, shortly before sunrise.

Nostradamus (Michel de Ntre-Dame; Saint-Rmy-de-Provence, Francia, 1503 - Salon, 1566) Mdico y astrlogo francs, famoso por las profecas que public en 1555 con el ttulo Las verdaderas centurias y profecas, en las que anticipa el futuro de la humanidad hasta el fin del mundo. "Michel Nostradamus, el hombre ms renombrado y el ms famoso de cuantos se han hecho famosos desde hace largo tiempo por la predicacin deducida del conocimiento de los astros, naci en la villa de Saint-Rmy, en Provenza, el ao de gracia de 1503, un jueves 14 de diciembre, alrededor de las doce del medioda. En Avignon y Montpellier estudi letras, adems de medicina y filosofa, asombrando a compaeros y profesores por sus raras facultades y su infalible memoria. Tena veintids aos cuando, durante una epidemia de peste que asol la ciudad de Montpellier, invent unos polvos preventivos que tuvieron mucho xito. Convertido en boticario y perfumista, se instal en Marsella y dedic su ingenio a la elaboracin de elixires, perfumes y filtros de amor. Fue en esos das de 1546 cuando tuvo lugar un acontecimiento que llevara a Nostradamus a los umbrales de la fama: la terrible epidemia llamada del "carbn provenzal".

Nostradamus invent un mejunje compuesto de resina de ciprs, mbar gris y zumo de ptalos de rosa que haban de recogerse en cestos cada madrugada. El frmaco, inexplicablemente, consigui cortar el contagio y revisti a su creador de honores y prestigio, hasta el punto de ser requerida su presencia en Lyon cuando all se declar un nuevo brote de peste. Haba permanecido once aos sin hijos y sufra viendo a su regio marido rodeado de amantes. Tras ingerir el que suponemos repugnante preparado de Nostradamus, Catalina empez a parir de forma prodigiosa hasta alcanzar la cifra de diez hijos. Nostradamus atenda a sus clientes durante el da y permaneca durante la noche encerrado en un observatorio que haba hecho instalar en la parte alta de su casa. Nostradamus prefiri guardar sus profecas para s mismo, hasta que en 1555 decidi darlas a la luz. El xito de esos crpticos cuartetos fue inmediato. Los ltimos das del profeta son tambin narrados con rigor de letrado por JeanAimes de Chavigny: "Haba pasado ya de los sesenta aos y estaba muy dbil a causa de las enfermedades frecuentes que lo afligan, en especial artritis y gota. Falleci el 2 de julio de 1566, poco antes de la salida del sol.