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Penicillin
About Penicillin
Discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 when mold contaminated his petri dish. Penicillin revolutionized medicine, kicking off the antibiotic era. Mass production during World War II saved countless soldiers from wound infections. Howard Florey and Ernst Chain shared the Nobel Prize with Fleming in 1945. Penicillin works by disrupting bacterial cell wall synthesis. Resistance began appearing by the 1950s. Despite resistance, penicillin remains a first line treatment for syphilis, strep throat, and other infections.
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