Great

scientists
made by Răcilă Ariana

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Alexander Fleming
• Sir Alexander Fleming  (6 August 1881 – 11 March 1955) was a
Scottish physician and microbiologist, best known for discovering
the world's first effective antibiotic substance , which he named
penicillin. Fleming was the seventh of eight children of a Scottish
hill farmer. His country upbringing in southwestern
Scotland sharpened his capacities for observation and appreciation of
the natural world at an early age. He went to school in his home town
till 1894. In 1895 he moved to London to live with his elder brother
Thomas and completed his basic education at Regent Street
Polytechnic. After working as a London shipping clerk, Fleming
began his medical studies at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in
1901, funded by a scholarship and a legacy from his uncle. There he
won the 1908 gold medal as top medical student at the University of
London. At first he planned to become a surgeon, but a temporary
position in the laboratories of the Inoculation Department at St.
Mary’s Hospital convinced him that his future lay in the new field of
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bacteriology.
The discovery of penicillin
The discovery of penicillin was one of the greatest
scientific achievements of the 1900s. Penicillin belongs
to a group of medical drugs called antibiotics. These
medicines fight infections caused by small living
things called bacterias.
Infectious diseases once caused many deaths. The
discovery of penicillin therefore saved millions of
lives.
In 1928 the Scottish doctor named Alexander Fleming
discovered the effects of penicillin. During research on
bacteria, Alexander noticed that the bacteria would not
grow near a certain mold. He found that the mold was a
type called Penicillium notatum. This mold is similar
to the green fuzzy mold that grows on bread. From the
mold Fleming developed the antibiotic now known as
penicillin
By the late 1930s penicillin was being used to treat
infections in hospitals. During World War II in the 1940s,
military doctors used penicillin to treat infected wounds.
Penicillin is now widely used in the treatment of throat
infections, meningitis, and other infections.
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 Bad effects of
penicillin
Some people are allergic to
penicillin. Symptoms include nausea, 
diarrhea, or rash. Rarely, patients
who are allergic to penicillin get a
fever, vomit, or have serious skin
irritation. Because it is such a popular
antibiotic, penicillin is the most
common cause of serious allergic
reactions to a drug. They are now
used regularly in hospitals.
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Thank you for your attention!
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