History of penicillin History of penicillin The history of penicillin follows a number of observations and discoveries of apparent evidence of antibiotic activity in molds before the modern isolation of the chemical penicillin in 1928. There are anecdotes about ancient societies using molds to treat infections, and in the following centuries many people observed the inhibition of bacterial growth by various molds. However, it is unknown if the species involved were "Penicillium" species or if the antimicrobial substances produced were penicillin. The Scottish physician Alexander Fleming was the first to suggest that a "Penicillium" mold must secrete an antibacterial substance, and the first
Valentine Morris Valentine Morris Valentine Morris (27 October 1727 – 26 August 1789) was a British landowner and politician, responsible for developing the picturesque woodland walks at Piercefield in the Wye Valley, and the Governor of St. Vincent from 1772 to 1779. Born in Antigua, in the West Indies, Valentine Morris was the son of Colonel Valentine Morris (c 1678-1743), a sugar plantation owner and merchant who claimed descent from the Walter family of Monmouthshire and who, in 1740, bought Piercefield House near Chepstow. On his father's death, the younger Valentine Morris, who was then attending school in London, inherited Piercefield. In