Florey

Definition

Howard Florey was an Australian pharmacologist and pathologist who played a crucial role in the development and mass production of penicillin, an antibiotic derived from the Penicillium mold. His work significantly advanced the field of antimicrobial chemotherapy.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Florey, along with Ernst Boris Chain, isolated and purified penicillin for clinical use in the early 1940s.
2. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Alexander Fleming and Ernst Boris Chain for their contributions to the development of penicillin.
3. His efforts during World War II led to the mass production of penicillin, saving countless lives from bacterial infections.
4. Florey's research demonstrated penicillin's effectiveness against a wide range of bacterial infections, including streptococci and staphylococci.
5. He established methods for large-scale fermentation and extraction processes that made penicillin widely available.

Review Questions

Related terms

Penicillin:

An antibiotic derived from the Penicillium mold used to treat bacterial infections.

Ernst Boris Chain: A biochemist who worked with Florey on isolating and purifying penicillin.

Alexander Fleming:

The bacteriologist who discovered penicillin in 1928 but did not develop it for clinical use.