The first life-saving dose of penicillin required filtering hundreds of liters of mold

History
The first life-saving dose of penicillin required filtering hundreds of liters of mold

The dawn of the antibiotic age began with a desperate effort to save a single patient by filtering massive quantities of mold to extract medicine.

In 1942, Anne Miller became the first person saved by penicillin after a life-threatening infection. Because the drug was so difficult to produce, doctors had to filter 300 liters of mold culture just to obtain the five grams needed for her treatment.

There's more to this story — open the app to keep reading.

Continue Reading in App
1 more paragraphs · plus a 3-question quiz
Open in App

Get the full experience

Download Facts A Day