Answer: 1928
Some extra relevant information:
In the year 1928, Alexander Fleming made a groundbreaking discovery that would revolutionize the world of medicine – penicillin. Fleming, a Scottish scientist, accidentally stumbled upon this antibiotic while conducting research at St. Mary’s Hospital in London.
During his experiments, Fleming observed that a mold known as Penicillium notatum had contaminated one of his bacterial cultures. To his surprise, he noticed that the mold inhibited the growth of bacteria surrounding it. Intrigued by this observation, he further investigated the properties of this mold.
Fleming successfully isolated the substance responsible for inhibiting bacterial growth and named it “penicillin.” He recognized its immense potential as an antibacterial agent, but initial attempts to produce the substance in large quantities proved challenging.
It wasn’t until the 1940s, nearly a decade later, that penicillin was effectively mass-produced, thanks to the efforts of Howard Florey, Ernst Chain, and their team at the University of Oxford. This breakthrough marked a milestone in the field of medicine, as penicillin became the first widely used antibiotic that could effectively combat bacterial infections.
Alexander Fleming’s accidental discovery of penicillin sparked a new era in medicine, saving countless lives and transforming healthcare practices worldwide. The development of penicillin paved the way for the discovery and production of numerous other antibiotics, revolutionizing the treatment of bacterial infections and enhancing the overall well-being of humanity.