Penicillin: From Fleming to the Pharmacy

Penicillin's discovery by Alexander Fleming in 1929 gets a lot of hype as the advent of antibiotics. But in reality, Fleming was just one part of the story. A team from Oxford University led by Howard Florey, in partnership with the Northern Lab in the USA brought penicillin production to the world. In this video, Patrick Kelly tells the history of penicillin.
☠️NONE OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD BE USED AS MEDICAL ADVICE OR OPINION. IT IS FOR GENERAL EDUCATION AND ENTERTAINMENT☠️
🔗 L I N K S 🔗
📱Instagram: / patkellyteaches
🐦Twitter: / patkellyteaches
💰Patreon: / corporis
🔬Main channel: / corporis
📚My favorite books docs.google.com/document/d/1w...
🔑 P A T R O N S 🔑
Ron Blumenfeld
Joanne K
Sal F.
Ansel K
Anton
Brandon K
Rourou Y
Brendan P
Dane M
Kristoffer R
Jakub V
Joe B
Karly N
Mindi F
Kathy K
Hyeon-Seo
Jacob S.
Robin B
Sarah B
Carl
Karen S
Michael R
Brian H
Brian T
Waffles the Dog
Silverstar
Robb W
Brian B
Michael G
📜 S O U R C E S 📜
Image attributions and fact checked script can be found here. You do not need to be a Patron to view: / penicillin-89784054
Miracle Cure, the Creation of Antibiotics www.amazon.com/Miracle-Cure-C...
Science, Government, and the Mass Production of Penicillin by PETER NEUSHUL (1993)
www.jstor.org/stable/24623264
The Discovery of Penicillin: New Insights After More Than 75 Years of Clinical Use (2017) www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Post- penicillin antibiotics www.researchgate.net/publicat...
Fleming biographies
www.aai.org/About/History/Not...
sciencehistory.org/education/...
www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank...
www.scientificamerican.com/ar...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Fleming’s 1917 Flavine paper
www.thelancet.com/journals/la...
Fleming’s WW1 notebook clippings
www.bl.uk/collection-items/al...
Fleming’s 1929 Penicillin paper
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Fleming’s 1932 Lysozyme retrospective in Journal of Royal Society of Medicine
journals.sagepub.com/toc/jrsa...
Fleming BMJ 1941 correspondence
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Did Fleming deserve the Nobel? link.springer.com/content/pdf...
Beta-lactam pharmcology
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NB...
www.sciencedirect.com/topics/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja03...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Florey and Chain biography sciencehistory.org/education/...
www.pbs.org/newshour/health/t...
Ramon y Cajal biography history.nih.gov/pages/viewpag...
Florey letters royalsocietypublishing.org/do...
Republication of 1940 Penicillin as Chemotherapeutic Agent journals.lww.com/clinorthop/f...
Howard Florey and the Development of Penicillin www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/532209
History of Corn! www.washingtonpost.com/news/w...
Anne Miller and the New Haven hospital medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-m...
www.nytimes.com/1999/06/09/us...
Younkin’s economic model (2008) irle.berkeley.edu/culture/pap...
💻 C O N T A C T 💻
If you’d like to sponsor a video or have other business inquiries:
patkellyteaches [at] gmail.com
⌛T I M E S T A M P S ⌛
0:00 intro
0:37 Alexander Fleming and St. Mary’s4
4:27 Penicillin pharmacology
8:37 The Oxford Crew
12:44 1939 Mouse Experiment
16:14 Penicillin Production
24:47 The Economics of Penicillin
27:37 The Problems with Penicillin
#historyofmedicine #medicalhistory

[@PatKellyTeaches]

Do me a favor and check out the description. Look at all those sources. I wanted to make sure this video was as accurate as possible. But still, with a video this long, I'm sure I'll make an error somewhere. This comment is where you'll find corrections.

[@frankiecicero8742]

How do you get the motivation to make videos, anytime I try some I want to accomplish I’m reminded of how afraid I am

[@PatKellyTeaches]

@@frankiecicero8742 You’re not alone! Every creative person feels that same way at first. You’ll feel the fear until you’ve made a few videos, then it’ll start to get easier. The fear never totally goes away, but you do get more confident with practice

[@knuckle12356]

Pppf, barely 40-50, by the looks of things. 🙄 suuuuuuuuuuuuure. 😉 dig your content.

[@skataskatata9236]

unfortunately, this wartime overproduction directly caused a massive overuse which quickly lead to widespread resistance

[@homerodysseus4203]

Your videos are brilliant! I found your channel shortly after you released your video of sulfa-drugs and every video I've seen of yours is both highly accurate and entertaining. Thank you!

[@angelabrown8458]

My Grandparents were a doctor and a nurse who met and worked at St Mary’s, Paddington. One day my Granny was asked to take something to Dr Fleming, she was excited and nervous. All she remembered was him saying “Thank you nurse” before she left! She was a bit starstruck. She also said that the only time they were allowed to run on the ward was when they heated up the antibiotics under a Bunsen burner and drew it up into a syringe. They then had to run to the patient and inject it before it cooled and recrystallised. Exciting times. I hope I’ve remembered what she said correctly. My grandparents were amazing and I miss them. Great video.

[@PatKellyTeaches]

What an interesting connection!

[@gillesguillaumin6603]

And you do not know the worst. At the end of 18ème century (about 1870) a french doctor in medecine found it. But as he was searching for something else, he decided to give up and changed his * course * to an other road. By this way we have lost millions of human lives. 😢

[@gregoriomariano5070]

obv not true, every other comment here is from someone whose grandparents worked in a hospital and knew fleming lol

[@mevaser770]

What was his name?

[@littlemissmisses2981]

In STEM disciplines, it is said, “we stand on the shoulders of giants”, meaning all discoveries are built upon the work of our predecessors and I love that ❤

[@Lividbuffalo]

Who is “we”? Standing on the shoulders of giants is an expression originally used by Sir Isaac Newton, one of the greatest physicists who ever lived. The credit should go to him and not to some modern-day made up catchword (stem) in dubious american universities.

[@ponponpatapon9670]

@@Lividbuffalo thank you for the attribution, but i think everyone reading could've went without the venom here is a more respectful, apropos version of your reply: "Standing on the shoulders of giants is an expression originally used by Sir Isaac Newton; one of the greatest physicists who ever lived." the world would run better if people were kinder to each other, don't you agree?

[@Lividbuffalo]

@@ponponpatapon9670totally agreed. But I don’t particularly think there was anything “venomous” about what I had said in my earlier comment. Cheers.

[@gingerhiser7312]

Family legend has it that my father was one of the first civilians to get penicillin after he get sepsis and that it saved his life...at age 19 (otherwise, I wouldn't be here). However, he was 19 in 1946, which doesn't match the timeline for the penicillin moratorium. Regardless, his timing was impeccable. If he gotten sick earlier, penicillin may not have been available. As a side note, blood transfusions helped save his live. He became a life-long blood donor.

[@PatKellyTeaches]

The 40s seem like such an exciting and terrifying time to get medical care. Glad your father made it through!

[@PaolaEP]

Penicillin saved my grandmas life back in the 40s. We are from Mexico and she contracted a serious infection when she was a child, her father had a contact in the US that could get penicillin into Mexico, she was saved and became one of the first people in Mexico to be cured penicillin 💜 this was so interesting to watch, thank you 🇲🇽 I’m a big fan

[@pmsteamrailroading]

I have heard that the cantaloupe was from a grocery store in Chicago. At that time my grandfather ran a grocery store in Chicago. He was the kind of cheap SOB, who would still have tried to sell a moldy cantaloupe. I smile, sometimes thinking it might been his store.

[@mlbs4803]

Nope, it was Peoria. More than likely the cantaloupe was grown across the Illinois River in the Spring Bay area, which has wonderful sandy soil perfect for growing them. And I bet the cantaloupe variety grown was 'Heart of Gold', which was still being grown when I was growing up there.

[@mevaser770]

Hey for the penicillin it generates. It's def worth something lol

[@Rosie-yt8nd]

"Fellowship of the Beta-Lactam Ring" had me wheezing!! informative, well researched AND funny

[@PatKellyTeaches]

I'm a huge LOTR fan, so I had to work that one in

[@susabobus]

I had extreme tonsillitis and when first time they prescribed me Clarithromycin but when it came back with new powers they gave me just plain penicillin. God bless.

[@Rose-ff3fi]

You're doing good after penicillin?

[@hedgehog3180]

These stories of how medicine got to where it is today are so endlessly fascinating, especially because you get into the weeds of it and show how much more complicated the story often is.

[@mormacfey]

Penicillin the only drug that nearly killed me on an operating table from anaphylaxis. Scary stuff.

[@kronos5385]

This KZbinr provides such good content, without an agenda. It's a real public service.

[@hedgehog3180]

He does have an agenda, his agenda is to illuminate how the history of medicine is often a lot more complicated than what you hear and how science actually works.

[@thezipcreator]

@@hedgehog3180 by "without an agenda" I think they mean "with little bias"

[@bswans8966]

I'm so surprised this channel doesn't have more subscribers. The quality of these videos is incredible. Love it.

[@dasping]

Love this series, looking forward to the Tetracycline video! Throughout the video I was thinking about topics that I assumed you wouldn't get to but you seemed to mention almost everything in just half an hour - no pointless filler like some other channels. PS: your release schedule is shockingly fast!

[@PatKellyTeaches]

Thank you! I still have to finish writing the tetracycline vid, but so far it's dense with both science and money stories

[@sassywimple]

It's so weird, I just found this channel from my recommended, and you cover like the PERFECT niche of my interests (medical history I guess?) I've already binged basically all of your videos, and I can't wait to see what's next!!

[@PatKellyTeaches]

Medical history is indeed the niche! Lots of fun with pharmaceuticals coming up!

[@diplomaticthreshold]

waking up to a patrick kelly video is a great way to start the day

[@gregr6829]

As a Aussie scientist that has spent many years researching the biology of infectious diseases it is wonderful to hear such a multidisciplinary team approach by Florey was the foundation of this achievement. Antibiotic research has floundered after the golden age of the post war years and there is so much more to do and discover here.

[@Ian91911]

Your videos are amazing! I just started watching your channel like a week ago and I’ve already seen all of them. Keep making high quality stuff like this and I know this channel will be huge one day.

[@woofy2000]

Same story! 😄

[@mlbs4803]

In about 1971 or 1972 I worked in the bacteriology lab at the new Peoria School of Medicine. I got to meet Dr. Harry S. Dowling, who was one of the nationwide team working on penicillin ....... quite a thrill. It was common knowledge at that time that both Hiram Walker Distillery and Pabst Brewery had their great vats converted to penicillin production for the duration.

[@joelb8653]

Outstanding content as always. Thanks for all the work you do.

[@kinexkid]

Im one of those people who are allergic to penicillin and amoxicillin, which is also the mold found in blue cheese. Ever since i was a kid, blue cheese has made my mouth and throat suuuper itchy. But i love cheese so much, and ive never stopped eating it. Nowadays, i only get a slight tingle from only the freshest blue cheese. I actuslly use that itching response to judge how good a blue cheese is now haha. But i do often wonder how much my body has adapted to the allergy, and if im still considered to be allergic to penicillin after so many exposures to it and how weakly it now affects me

[@ReyOfLight]

Being allergic to penicillin since age 10 (I'll be 38 in a few weeks), I could almost feel the hives throughout this whole video 😂

[@swedneck]

Man this makes me really appreciate a webnovel i'm reading: it's an alternate universe setting where the main character is the inventor of penicillin and goes on a voyage to make first contact with a new continent, and he treats the ship's supply of penicillin as a near holy material. When he scrounges up some spores to set up local production he almost weeps with relief as his stock had been depleted much more than was expected.

[@twerktospec]

spoiler alert....

[@wordcarr8750]

My dad was a budding (construction) engineer hired by Squibb in the early 1940's. He was assigned to design the pilot plant for Squibb's Penicillin manufacture. He told me there were only three other drug firms making Penicillin in the country, and that none of them would share process information. i.e. government secrecy surrounding penicillin manufacture, in those days, caused each drug company to develop its own method/s for quantity manufacture.

[@nikevisor54]

Holy bibliography, Pat-man! This video is better sourced than some of my grad school assignments

[@IHaveAFatherButHesAbroad]

My mom's a pharmacist. I also want to be a pharmacist. I'm glad you know this, cause.. It's cool :D

[@grumpybulldog19]

Thank you so much! I'm a pharmacist from Brazil and I love history of pharmacy, keep up with these videos.

[@PatKellyTeaches]

Will do! Lots of folks from Brazil in the channel lately!

[@Seraph.G]

I've never been more excited for a video about mold

[@PatKellyTeaches]

We put the fun In fungus.

[@Hippiechick11]

Tony Hilkerman, the mystery writer stated in his autobiography, that he developed a severe eye infection and the doctors in the military thought he was going to lose his sight in that eye. They used penicillin and saved his eye as an experiment. When they told him that they used penicillin hoping it might help, he was very angry that he was an unwilling experiment.

[@rtn4928]

I am a Y11 student who chose History as a GCSE, and your channel practically covers all the "Medicine through Time" topics more concisely than my teachers manage to do, it's the perfect revision video for my exams next year. Thank you for the high-quality videos :)

[@In_TheMoonlight]

The 20th century was such a transformative time for medicine and learning about it is endlessly riveting to me

[@FrankkBeanss]

So glad I found this before my History of Medicine Project 🙏🙏 You are a life saver!

[@liamfoxy]

It really is amazing how often world changing discoveries comes down to someone going "Huh, that looks wierd.. neat"

[@powapuffer]

Love your videos! They started getting recommended to me on my home page and I have been listening to them while doing chores and only just realized that they don’t all have like 500k+ views. I’m a medical student so love this sort of historic information to know how the field came to be. Keep on going

[@jennis8561]

I'm rather sure KZbin started recommending me your channel after John Green's TB videos and I'm especially excited for the next one because of that. Otherwise very nice videos, they fit my commute time amazingly and offer a nice soft change from work (in medical field) into private life. Keep up the good work, I truly hope KZbin will keep recommending your videos to possibly interested folks, they really deserve to reach a bigger audience!

[@sadhucat4476]

Subscribed! This channel is awesome - A+ storytelling without any compromise of the scientific details.

[@thatwitch-ep4rd]

Love your videos so much. Can you do one on the discovery of insulin? Im a type 1 diabetic and have always been so fascinated about the treatment progression. I know a lot but would love to hear you explain everything lol. Keep up the good work!!

[@PatKellyTeaches]

Yep! I'm working on one all about the economic history of insulin. It's....a lot of information. It'll be a challenge to squeeze it into half an hour.

[@thatwitch-ep4rd]

Thank you so much for taking all of that dense information and presenting it in such a clean narrative. Your videos are amazing. Really phenomenal work, I appreciate your effort in bringing this information to us!

[@henryj.8528]

Excellent presentation. I would also recommend "The Mold on Doctor Florey's Coat" for the full story. IIRC, Fleming asked Florey for a sample and used it to treat a young boy. The boy recovered and Fleming took full credit in the newspapers for Penicillin (and even received a knighthood). Yet it was Florey, Chain, Heatley and the other Oxford scientists that turned an off-hand, long-forgotten discovery into a wonder drug that saved millions of lives (and still does).

[@gerardolopezolvera2885]

I've been binging your content and you deserve so many more followers! You create outstanding, comprehensive content, congrats!

[@PatKellyTeaches]

I appreciate that a ton. More videos coming soon.

[@fergieferg9192]

I really like your editing and narration style. Every video I've watched so far has been fantastic and I only started watching this week.

[@jfu5222]

Thank you! I first watched your channel a couple of weeks ago and I have nearly completed your playlist. I'm giving you my Best Outstanding Science Communicator in the World award! Congratulations!

[@banano4324]

i'm always so impressed with the amount of work you put into your videos. the quality of your content is just amazing!

[@russetburbanks275]

I love this channel! You are very easy to listen to, and the content is top-notch. I’m so happy to find content like this.

[@Joghurt2499]

Commenting early for the algorithm! Man it is criminal that your channel hasn't blown up properly yet. It is insane how well researched all your videos are.

[@Tser]

I'm so glad to see this new video (I finished all your other videos within a week of starting to watch them) and can't wait to see the new ones you come out with (especially with the little mentions and teasers in this video). I'm hoping I can join your patreon in the next couple months because this is amazing educational content.

[@ribbon0219]

Dude, your channel is awesome. Im so glad I came across your videos!

[@andrewcornelio6179]

I always love your videos. They're so well researched. You should do a video on Pellagra, Joseph Goldberger, poverty, and cornbread.

[@doclag80]

Just stumbled on your page. Let me just tell you… you’re awesome!! That’s for such amazing videos. OBGYN physician here 🙋🏻‍♂️

[@j-b-9610]

Just came across your channel this week. Already subscribed and binge watched all your videos. Love medical history too. Can't wait for the next video 😁

[@andreac6791]

DUDE, i haven't come across a channel so interesting and consistent. You're content is SOOO good. Keep up the good work.

[@lucasgondim9833]

Hey man, I'm surprised your channel has only 40k, you deserve a lot more! I'm a med student in Brazil with a deep interest on medical history and it feels like this channel is godsent tbh. Keep up the quality of content and you're gonna be really big very, very soon!

[@saimaleon7115]

Thank you for putting this amazing amount of research into these topics. Very thorough, very informative.

[@lauramitrea]

A great video, as always! So much more interesting than the story I learned growing up. Awesome work!

[@horseman6468]

When I was young I remember my grandmother born 1890 told me gypsies treated infected wounds with mouldy bread poultices and it always worked.

[@haley18768]

WOW found your channel and what a blessing!!! Surprised you're not more popular! Keep up the good work

[@NickHammer99]

man your videos are sooooo good. super underrated. keep it up

[@arielsclamshellbra]

The algorithm caught your channel recently and has been pushkng your videos and that is so good to see, you deserve it!

[@midgeefuzz]

I lived in Peoria for a few years and drove by that lab all the time, never knowing what happened there. Awesome work, I love these videos so much!

[@xquarles2000]

Yay new vid!🎉 love your content it's informative and you deliver it in an entertaining format

[@rosemarycaldwell8611]

Im new to your channel, and honestly im obsessed. Already watching almost all of your videos! Thanks for your hard work, these videos are masterful

[@PatKellyTeaches]

I appreciate that! I love making videos and finding these stories. More to come

[@TheScottbb1]

Your channel is going to blow up! Keep up the good work. Love your videos.

[@KhanaHatake]

All your videos are SO fascinating!!

[@lildvsvevo]

I swear you’ve already gained like 20K subs since I first saw you. You’re killing it! I can’t wait to see what’s coming next 😊

[@tradingfriends]

since stumbling upon your channel a few days ago, I've watched all your videos, some multiple times! You're an incredible educator and I cant wait to see more!

[@PatKellyTeaches]

Thank you so much for the kind words. I sincerely appreciate it

[@strakhovandrri]

It's unbelievable how you don't have a million views already. I mean, not only the quality of just video. You have subtitles - and it's rare to people of hundreds of thousands of subscribers to have them, and I thank you for them.

[@GoneZombie]

I will absolutely be here for the potential history of the US health insurance industry video.

[@charizardman283]

Just discovered your content recently, and I'm shocked you don't have more viewers! Your content quality is amazing. Looking forward to whatever else you have coming!

[@PatKellyTeaches]

No matter how many people are watching, I'm still having fun making videos!

[@theconstant-qm3rt]

Been waiting for this!! Great job Sir Kelly

[@PatKellyTeaches]

'Twas a fun (if not massive) project to work on.

[@theconstant-qm3rt]

​@@PatKellyTeachesYES!!!! But thank you for making it comprehensive!!!!!!! Can't wait for your next topic/video :D

[@mateobravo9212]

Wiw! A great story and so well told. Thank you!

[@OverKill515]

Just jumping on the bandwagon and saying that your videos going over any medical history have been really great. I really appreciate your knowledge and you sharing it in a very easily digestible way!

[@scpatl4now]

wonderful content. I've been looking forward to this video after watching the last one.

[@neerajwa]

My goodness ... How did this channel escape my attention for so long. Awesome content 👍👍

[@bgshin2879]

This video should be on curriculum of every child and university students to learn not only the discovery but also the collaboration that goes behind the scenes to change our lives. This was the most comprehensive and detailed documentary. Thank you.

[@melissagreen8174]

Love the videos! Keep up the great work!😊

[@m.streicher8286]

I really appreciate the quality of these videos and I know you'll blow up soon, even your oldest videos are great relative to your newer work.

[@Lubricated1]

I love your videos. It really surprised me that your channel is not some million subscribers up. It should be any time now. Please keep making more videos, they are entertaining and useful as medical student

[@ianpaul6460]

Thanks for putting out such good content!

[@blippityblahblah]

You are my new binge watch channel 🙌🏻👏🏻😁❤️

[@efailureify]

You deserve more views Patrick this is great content !

[@PatKellyTeaches]

I appreciate that! New videos in the antibiotics series coming out soon.

[@EuLucio]

I really like your explanations, good story telling also helps keep me engaged. Keep it up

[@johnrine9671]

This is a great channel!!! Thanks.

[@rayrocher6887]

Thanks for including florrey as a wise doctor, thanks heroes doctors, WW2 is tough

[@joeblow8593]

Thanks, been waiting for this one.

[@kristenpond9014]

I've watched every video on this channel... now what? Haha. Absolutely love the content. Can't wait to catch new releases and engage on the Patreon. So glad YT suggested the rabbies video! 🎉

[@backdoorsluts_9]

Nice! A new video while I’m at work this morning

[@lilgnomey]

Brilliant vid! Like many others here I’m a recent subscriber, and I’m loving your content and style! Could you possibly do a video on neural tube defects and how folate operates and plays a part? Also, I believe there’s a shortage of folate worldwide in the last few years and it’s having an effect on birth rates of babies with spina bifida. October is spina bifida awareness month so could be good timing!

[@blaket5346]

Where was this video a week ago??? I literally did this topic for a CIV class Industrial Rev project... I learned quite a bit more than I even researched, so thanks for feeding my curiosity. Definitely worth a sub 👍

[@PlexiumGames]

I am so addicted to this channel. You are such a talented story teller!

[@PatKellyTeaches]

I appreciate the kind words! There are fascinating stories everywhere 🤓

[@DolphinSMG]

GREAT channel for how small you are. You're definitely gonna grow fast soon. Subscribed

[@CapnRaye]

I am endelessly impressed with the work you do on these videos. I hope the algo pushes these out to more and more people, these deserbe to be seen

[@PatKellyTeaches]

Thank you! This was a fun one to make

[@lehanjones242]

Incredible video as always. Your science communication skills are off the charts

[@gerrychen]

Amazing video; felt very objective and informative while also being fascinating and carrying a story :)

[@arielchasipanta2237]

Your videos are amazing . Please post more!

[@Nibs333]

First video I’ve watched of yours. This was great!

[@francisco.enguita]

Brilliant !... Congratulations. Already a big fan of your contents. I will recommend you to my students at Medical College.

[@thomasoliver2081]

Just just found your channel today, really good content!

[@matthewerlik6205]

Loved this video keep up the good work

[@phyllostomus]

Great video as always! I have a book recommendation: The Seashell on the Mountaintop by Alan Cutler. It's nominally on the history of geology, but it goes very in depth on changing anatomical attitudes in the 1600s and the way that geology came about as an offshoot of medicine. As a geologist I hadn't understood how much crossover there was early on, and it's gotten me hooked on your channel.

[@LOLquendoTV]

Insanely underrated channel, after stumbling across the pasteur vid Ive been watching the rest of them

[@mariannarothbard1003]

My grandmother received penicillin for sepsis in 1944 following the birth of my mother. She delivered at a VA hospital. My grandfather avoided overseas combat by participating in experiments conducted by the Army for equipment such as boots.

[@zUnderscore]

thank you for having captions!

[@PatKellyTeaches]

Always! I script my video word for word, so I might as well copy-paste it into KZbin