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The discovery of penicillin was a major medical breakthrough. Penicillin was the first effective antibiotic - a drug that could be used to kill bacteria. This meant that cures for serious illnesses were possible even if the patient already had the disease.

Penicillin had been discovered during the 19th century. However, it was Alexander Fleming who first realised its great importance, in 1928. During World War One, he noticed that antiseptics seemed unable to prevent infection, particularly in deep wounds. He therefore decided to try to find something that could kill the bacteria that caused infections like septicaemia.

Fleming discovered the antibiotic properties of penicillin almost by accident. Returning from holiday, he removed the tops from some old petri dishes and noticed that the bacteria he had grown were being killed by a mould - penicillin. He used the word antibiotic to describe penicillin. However, Fleming did not have the money or the facilities to continue his research.

Ernst Chain and Howard Florey

In the late 1930s two University of Oxford scientists, Ernst Chain and Howard Florey, took up the challenge of producing enough penicillin for a large number of patients. In 1939, with the start of World War Two, they were given extra government funding. Thousands of milk bottles, which were available containers use in the production of penicillin mould during wartime, produced only enough penicillin to treat four mice. In 1941 penicillin was tested on a human. Though he died when the drug ran out, it was obvious that it was effective.

In 1941 the USA entered the war. The American government gave $80 million to fund research into making large quantities of penicillin.

By 1943 penicillin was being mass produced, as it still is today. In 1945 it was estimated that the US Army was giving out 2 million doses per month.

In the 1940s and 1950s, other antibiotics followed penicillin. They have been very successful in fighting infection. However, health organisations across the world are trying to reduce the use of antibiotics, especially for conditions that aren’t serious. The overuse of antibiotics means they are becoming less effective and has led to the emergence of superbugs.