Medical discoveries
Medical discoveries 1. Alexander Fleming , a Scottish scientist, discovered penicillin, the first antibacterial drug to combat a wide range of bacterial infections, in 1928. One day he observed a mould fungus growing in a bowl containing bacteria. He also found that the growth of the bacteria had been impeded in the vicinity of the fungus. He concluded by saying that the mould released a substance that affected the growth of bacteria and named it penicillin. 2. Edward Jenner was the pioneer of the smallpox vaccine and coined the term vaccine'. In 1796, he injected eight-year-old James Phipps with pus from a cowpox pustule, which made him immune to the smallpox virus. He based this experiment on the assumption that milkmaids who contracted cowpox, a mild disease, were immune to smallpox. His idea faced resistance and he was asked to give more proof. He experimented on several children including his 11-month-old son and hi...