The Mould in Dr Florey’s Coat: The Remarkable True Story of the Penicillin Miracle
Book Review by George Rosie
Nobody is quite sure whose life was the first to be saved by penicillin. It may well have been that of a 31-year-old US housewife called Anne Miller. In March 1942, she lay dying in New Haven Hospital, Connecticut, with infections raging through her body. But there happened to be a tiny quantity of penicillin in the US, and on the advice of a British scientist called Norman Heatley, it was decided to pump it into Mrs. Miller. Thanks to penicillin, Miller lived on until 1999. It was Miller’s obituary in the New York Times that enticed American author Eric Lax to write this new account of penicillin, the “wonder drug” of the 1940s and 1950s.
The Forgotten Team of Penicillin
This book is not just another biography of Alexander Fleming, the Scotsman who has received most of the glory associated with penicillin. It primarily focuses on the largely forgotten team of Oxford-based scientists led by Australian Howard Florey, who picked up where Fleming left off and produced penicillin in a usable form.
Lax describes the internal dynamics of the little group, including the sardonic Florey, his upper-class mistress Margaret Jennings, the brilliant yet temperamental refugee Ernst Chain, and the gifted technologist Norman Heatley. This crew of bright, ambitious, and quarrelsome individuals pulled together long enough to produce what Fleming had stumbled across in 1928 – penicillin.
Fleming's Breakthrough
Lax acknowledges Fleming's substantial breakthrough with his 1929 paper, "On The Antibacterial Action Of A Penicillium With Special Reference To Their Use In The Isolation of B Influenzae." However, it wasn't until Fleming's work was picked up by Ernst Chain in 1938 that progress began to happen. Florey quickly saw the potential of penicillin and secured funding for further research, despite the difficulties of obtaining money from the British scientific establishment.
Chance and Intrigue
As Lax reveals, much of the success of penicillin depended on chance. For example, Heatley was about to leave for Copenhagen on a scholarship in the autumn of 1939 when World War II broke out. Had Heatley departed as scheduled, the work on penicillin could have suffered, and success may not have been achieved.
Lax highlights the four key figures of the penicillin story: Fleming, Chain, Florey, and Heatley. Without each of them, penicillin would not have been possible. In 1945, Nobel Prizes were awarded to Fleming, Florey, and Chain, while Heatley went largely unrecognized.
The Ongoing Battle Against Microbes
Penicillin was undoubtedly one of the great medical and scientific breakthroughs of the last century. However, as Lax points out, it did not win the war against bacteria. Microbes learn from their experience and develop resistance to antibiotics. Fleming himself warned of the risks of misusing penicillin and educating bacteria on how to cope with antibiotics.
Unfortunately, his warning went unheeded, and today we are facing the reality of antibiotic resistance. The challenge lies in developing new antibiotics to combat evolving bacterial strains. Regrettably, the production of new antibiotics has significantly declined, posing a threat to global health.
The Impact of Penicillin Pioneer
Eric Lax’s book, "The Mould in Dr Florey’s Coat: The Remarkable True Story of the Penicillin Miracle," provides a captivating account of the individuals behind the penicillin breakthrough. It offers a valuable insight into the challenges they faced, their collaborative efforts, and the impact of their work on the world.
Whether you have an interest in science or medicine, this book will undoubtedly captivate you. Lax's storytelling brings the personalities and the science to life, making it an enjoyable read. The book provides a reminder of the importance of antibiotics and the ongoing need for scientific advancements in this field.
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