Today marks the birth of Sir Alexander Fleming, M.D., a Scottish scientist and bacteriologist, who discovered penicillin in 1928. Fleming accidentally discovered that a mold, called penicillium notatum, released a chemical that prevented the growth of some bacteria. The antibiotic agent was not made stable enough for medical use until 1943. Fleming shared the 1945 Nobel Prize for his discovery with Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, who helped develop penicillin to its full potential. Fleming was knighted in 1944. He died in 1955 at the age of 73.

Copyright Aetna InteliHealth, Inc., 2012. All rights reserved.