The Mold in Dr. Florey’s Coat: The Story of the Penicillin Miracle by Eric Lax is fascinating. Published in 2005, Lax dispels the myth that penicillin was discovered accidentally when working in London in 1928, Alexander Fleming left a lid off of a petri dish when he went on vacation. Lax explains why that could not have happened although he does credit Fleming with discovering penicillin. Other scientists took up the research when Fleming stopped. During WWII, the U.S. Army identified the mass production of penicillin as its second priority after the Manhattan project. They wanted enough penicillin to treat wounded soldiers after the June 6, 1944 D-Day invasion in France. They succeeded. Read Sgt. Harold R. Smith, WWII Home Front Aircraft Mechanic. His brother was wounded during the D-Day invasion and was one of the first soldiers treated with penicillin. The antibiotic saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives.

To read the full story about the book, visit The Mold in Dr. Florey’s Coat was Penicillium.