Innovation of the Decade 1920 - 1929

In 1928 the chance discovery of a mould, Penicillium notatum, that could kill bacteria, led the Scots biologist Alexander Fleming to develop the drug penicillin. It could only be produced in small quantities at first, so its powerful properties were not fully recognised. But by the second World War penicillin was widely used, and after 1945 antibiotics reduced deaths from diptheria, TB and many other infectious diseases. Unfortunately, some diseases have developed strains which are resistant to antibiotics, and TB is on the increase once again.