Short biography alexander fleming

(1881-1955)

Who Was Alexander Fleming?

Alexander Fleming was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, on August 6, 1881, and studied medicine, serving as a physician during World War I. Through research and experimentation, Fleming discovered a bacteria-destroying mold which he would call penicillin in 1928, paving the way for the use of antibiotics in modern healthcare. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1945 and died on March 11, 1955.

Early Years

Alexander Fleming was born in rural Lochfield, in East Ayrshire, Scotland, on August 6, 1881. His parents, Hugh and Grace were farmers, and Alexander was one of their four children. He also had four half-siblings who were the surviving children from his father Hugh's first marriage. He attended the Louden Moor School, the Darvel School and Kilmarnock Academy before moving to London in 1895, where he lived with his older brother, Thomas Fleming. In London, Fleming finished his basic education at the Regent Street Polytechnic

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Alexander Fleming (1881-1955)

Sir Alexander Fleming  ©Fleming was a Scottish bacteriologist and Nobel Prize winner, best known for his discovery of penicillin

Alexander Fleming was born in Ayrshire on 6 August 1881, the son of a farmer. He moved to London at the age of 13 and later trained as a doctor. He qualified with distinction in 1906 and began research at St Mary's Hospital Medical School at the University of London under Sir Almroth Wright, a pionjär in vaccine therapy. In World War One Fleming served in the Army Medical Corps and was mentioned in dispatches. After the war, he returned to St Mary's.

In 1928, while studying influenza, Fleming noticed that mould had developed accidentally on a set of culture dishes being used to grow the staphylococci germ. The mould had created a bacteria-free circle around itself. Fleming experimented further and named the active substance penicillin. It was two other scientists however, Australian Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, a

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Alexander Fleming (1881-1955)

Famous for:

• Discovering the antibiotic penicillin
• Researching the antiseptic properties of lysozyme.

Fleming played a key role in the development of modern antibiotics.

His research and observations led to the development of penicillin – generally considered to be one of the most important advances in medical history.

Humble beginnings

Fleming was born on 6 August 1881 at Lochfield Farm, near Darvel in Ayrshire. Alec, as he was known, was the second youngest of seven siblings.

He enjoyed a poor but happy childhood with a love of the outdoors. Although his father died when he was seven, his mother continued to run the farm.

Alec attended primary school at Loudon Moor and Darvel before going on to Kilmarnock Academy. He enjoyed his school days. This is despite a playground accident that left him looking like a boxer for the rest of his life!

Medical degree in London

When Fleming was 13, he moved to London to live with his brother