(a) Who discovered Penicillin and how? Explain. (b) Why is this discovery considered accidental? (c) In what way did it prove to be a 'milestone' in…

• Alexander Fleming

• He was culturing Staphylococcus bacteria in petri dishes. One day he found

that a mould had grown in one of his unwashed culture plate and around that mould bacterial colonies were killed due to a chemical produced by the mould and he named it ‘Penicillin’ after the mould Penicillium notatum.

It is considered accidental as it was a chance discovery.

It marked the beginning of an antibiotic era and Penicillin was used to treat soldiers wounded in World War II.